Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claims that any drop points between now and the end of the season could jeopardise the club’s chances of retaining the title.
He says that, with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham all vying to finish top of the table, the reigning champions can’t afford any more slip-ups.
“In the Premier League, we have one game in hand. We have a big rival, Liverpool is back, Arsenal, many good teams are there, Tottenham, it’s important to be there. But in the same time, we know we can’t drop points much or it will be difficult.”
As Guardiola mentions, the Cityzens have played a match less than those directly above them in the league. However, even if they do win that game in hand against Brentford, it would only put them above Aston Villa, with Liverpool an extra two points ahead.
Considering how things were looking even a few weeks ago, though, they are definitely in a much better position than they were.
De Bruyne’s return to fitness is timely
With Kevin De Bruyne getting some minutes against Huddersfield at the weekend, having not played since the opening day of the season, City also have their key playmaker back available heading into a key period of the campaign.
Guardiola’s team have shown in previous years that they can put an extended run of wins together, which puts tremendous pressure on their rivals to keep up the pace. De Bruyne’s return increases the odds of that being possible.
What are City’s next 5 league fixtures?
After thrashing Huddersfield in the FA Cup on Sunday, the Cityzens face Newcastle away from home next weekend before they have an extended break until January 31st.
At the end of the month, they will take on Vincent Kompany’s Burnley at the Etihad, before playing Brentford (a), Everton (h) and Chelsea (h) in February.
