Arsenal 's Gabriel Magalhaes fouls Manchester City's Erling Haaland during the March fixture at the Etihad Stadium. Photograph: Darren Staples/Getty Imagesfan base likes it to be known that they’re “not really here”. But as the club stands on the verge of history, it is a line from“We are there,” City’s manager has said repeatedly throughout this season and those that have gone before.
Arsenal pushed City close last season and they have taken them even further this time; to the final set of fixtures, the numbers stunning. If they were to beat Everton, they would reach 89 points; only once have the Gunners finished with more in the Premier League — the 90 that the Invincibles collected in 2003-04, the club’s most recent title-winning campaign. Arteta’s team have set club records for goals scored and wins in a Premier League season.
Rice’s words could have rebounded on him; he knew that and so did the club’s media department. Neither party cared. A collective conviction held sway, a desire to own the narrative and, by extension, the game. This kind of thing has simply not happened in previous seasons; giving the players a voice in the newspapers before showpiece fixtures. Others have given insightful interviews. It can be empowering. Arsenal’s 0-0 at the Etihad was in the point-gained category.
The second culminated in the 2-2 home draw against Crystal Palace in mid-December, when they threw away a two-goal lead, after which they headed to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup. Earlier in the month, with Rodri again suspended, they lost 1-0 at Aston Villa, having conceded late equalisers in the previous three league matches, against Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs. Yet the impression with City is that there is not too much friction.
It is Guardiola who has harnessed the remorselessness and imparted his obsessive will to win. It is buried in the muscle memory of players such as Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne —veterans of the first of his five City titles in 2017-18; Phil Foden, as well, who took his first-team baby steps as a 17-year-old that season.
Regular City watchers believe the club’s Champions League victory of last season has lifted some of the pressure off Guardiola. He has been more relaxed in his media briefings, for example. It was also noted that he seemed to enjoy a renewed burst of enthusiasm after Jürgen Klopp’s announcement in late January that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)
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