LONDON • So much has changed for Manchester City in the space of a week.
Two rounds of matches and two defeats later, a one-point gap has turned into a sizeable seven-point lead for Liverpool (51 points) over the Premier League champions.
And should City continue their downward spiral at revitalised Southampton on Sunday, their title defence could be over by the time they welcome the buoyant Reds to the Etihad Stadium next Thursday.
While it is not in Pep Guardiola's psyche to panic, even with his side faltering as the title race picks up pace at the halfway mark, the manager would have recognised the need to sharpen up fast.
He acknowledged that uncertainty had crept into the minds of his players after the 2-1 loss at Leicester on Wednesday, their third defeat in four league games.
He told Sky Sports: "The fact is we lost three in four, and the last two, and if you want to be real contenders, we have to win again.
"As soon as possible, we have to try to win again for our mood, our confidence and our desire. You have to be confident to play and to come back."
CITY'S WIN RATE WITH FERNANDINHO - 71.3%
WITHOUT FERNANDINHOÂ - 59.3%
The Spaniard admitted he had to "change the dynamic" in his team as Liverpool and Tottenham (45 points), who have leapfrogged City into second, were now "better than us at the moment".
He said: "You have to accept it, and it's important to accept where we are and they are improving.
"The reality is there are two or three teams better than us. We're not talking about whether we can get to (the level of) Liverpool, the issue is about winning another game, and thinking in ourselves about how we can improve."
While he still retains faith in "how exceptional the lads are in the locker room", he knows they face the greatest test of their character in the coming week.
"Good results make miracles in the mind. Now there will be doubts, and what you have to do is try to put in a good performance. But we are able to do that. I never doubt them. I don't forget who we are, how good we are," the City manager added.
However, he is also well aware his defence lacks a real shield in the absence of Fernandinho, who missed his second straight league game with knee trouble and remains a doubt this weekend.
City do not have a natural replacement for the Brazilian enforcer, which was why he was so desperate to land Jorginho, who eventually moved to Chelsea in the summer.
Without Fernandinho, their win percentage drops to 59.3 from 71.3.
Sky Sports pundit Steve Sidwell believes no other City player can perform the same role, although the former Fulham midfielder also felt the rest of the team were not pulling their weight.
He said: "Fernandinho does a lot of work there. But I think it's down to a lack of mentality that Pep Guardiola will not be happy about.
"Look at the results they've lost there, Crystal Palace and Leicester, and they'll be very disappointed with (the) Palace (loss) having been at home as well."
Another problem area for City is at left-back, where first-choice Benjamin Mendy is not expected to return from injury until at least February.
His replacement Fabian Delph was sent off at the King Power Stadium and he will miss the Saints and Reds games owing to a three-game ban. That leaves Oleksandr Zinchenko or Aymeric Laporte there and they are far from ideal options in that position.
However, Sidwell refused to rule City out of the title race despite their poor run, backing them to turn things around with "the quality they have got".
He added: "If there's one team, when you're top, who you don't want to be chasing you, then it's going to be this City team.
"The depth of squad they've got, they can go out and win games convincingly."
REUTERS, THE GUARDIAN, THE TIMES, LONDON
LONDON • Whoever said the magic of the FA Cup was dead should have paid a visit to Kingsmeadow, The Den and the New Meadow on Saturday. While the competition has taken a backseat to the Premier League and the Champions League in recent years, it still represents the perfect opportunity for English football's lesser lights to have their day in the sun.
The Magic of the FA Cup is Alive and Well - Chelsea FC news
La Liga: Karim Benzema Saves Real Madrid Blushes With Late
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho embarrassingly slipped after presenting a symbolic face-off to a match in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on Monday. Videos of the 56-year-old boss falling on a red carpet on the ice rink in Balashikha appeared on social media after the accident.
Football: Mourinho humiliated by fall at Russian hockey
Ramsey poised to sign five-year, €40m Juventus deal Independent.ie Aaron Ramsey will join Italian giants Juventus next summer after agreeing a deal which will pay him €40million over the next
Aaron Ramsey agrees five-year deal with Juventus | Daily Mail
Atletico extend lead over Real with narrow win over Eibar La Liga / 20 April 2019, 7:09pm / Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone gestures during their La Liga clash against Eibar on Saturday.
Atletico extend lead over Real with narrow win over Eibar
Arsenal inflict first domestic defeat on Solskjaer to surge into top four Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blamed Manchester United's lack of ruthlessness as the Norwegian suffered his first domestic defeat as caretaker manager in a 2-0 loss at Arsenal on Sunday.
Arsenal inflict first domestic defeat on Solskjaer to surge
Chelsea face a partial closure of Stamford Bridge However, UEFA will decide on Friday whether to open its own disciplinary case. The European football's governing body's regulations state that
The punishments Chelsea could face after UEFA charge for
Juventus moved a step closer to a second successive Serie A title after winning 2-1 in a pulsating "derby of Italy" at Inter Milan on Saturday, while Edinson Cavani came off the bench to inspire
Rangers have boosted their Scottish Premiership title chances with the high-profile loan signing of Jermain Defoe. The former England striker has moved to Ibrox on an 18-month deal from Bournemouth.
Title-chasing Rangers sign Defoe on loan - sports.yahoo.com
And in Madrid this morning, Klopp completed his journey with a 2-0 victory over a Spurs side that boasted seven members of the same starting XI who took to the park for his first outing in red.
Jurgen Klopp the most important figure at Liverpool, says
Qatar vs Lebanon: World Cup host high on confidence Qatar's road to the 2022 World Cup starts against Lebanon in Group E of the Asian Cup, with coach Felix Sanchez in bullish mood.
He's our Guardiola: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez hailed after
Hariss Harun insists Home United have proved they can more than match Albirex Niigata (S) ahead of this week's Singapore Cup semifinal over two legs.
Hariss Harun says Home United can beat Albirex in Singapore
0 comments:
Post a Comment