Chapter 859: I said we would beat Arsenal in 30 minutes!
If the slogans shouted to the outside world are loud and clear, but if the actual strength and performance do not keep up, then it will just be empty talk.
Guardiola is obviously not a person who likes to talk big. On the contrary, he prefers to do things quietly behind the scenes.
When many people saw the schedule, they thought that Manchester City’s most difficult schedule was over.
Because there will be no strong opponents next time.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have all played there. Except for Liverpool, which got three points at home, the other four Premier League families were all defeated twice by Manchester City without exception.
This transcript is absolutely solid.
When analyzing the situation, many media outlets felt that Manchester City could relax for a while and as long as they performed normally, they would be able to maintain their current hard-earned lead and win the Premier League title.
But in reality, it’s not that simple.
Manchester City is now exhausted after a long battle, not to mention the huge consumption of players. By March and April, everyone has almost reached their physical limit. But at this time, Manchester City has to continue fighting on three fronts. This is a very terrifying thing.
It’s like a person has been working overtime in the company for a week, and finally it’s the weekend. He thinks he can have a good rest, but his boss suddenly tells him, sorry, our company has received a big order and everyone has to work overtime on the weekend.
Even if the salary offered by the boss is high enough, the overtime pay is sincere enough, and the bonus is attractive enough, will the employees feel the urge to curse? It is good enough to work normally, let alone work hard.
If you imagine the players as this group of employees, you can understand Manchester City’s situation at the moment.
Fighting on multiple fronts, the fatigue index is a process of continuous accumulation and rise.
The closer we get to the end, the greater the pressure will be and the higher the possibility of collapse will be.
Just like Arsenal’s unbeaten record back then, why did it start with Rooney and end with Rooney?
Sometimes it’s a psychological reason.
…
Manchester City's upcoming schedule is very busy.
They will face Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn in the league, Arsenal in the FA Cup and Braga in the Europa League.
With several consecutive games intertwined, the schedule is quite dense.
"Braga can be eliminated by us first."
Manel Estiarte is Guardiola's think tank, responsible for overall strategic analysis and team management.
"We beat the Portuguese Super League team 3-0 away from home, and next is our home game, so it shouldn't be a big problem."
In addition to technical director Begiristain, those attending the regular meeting included captain Sudong and two vice-captains, as well as the coaching staff, who all nodded in agreement with Estiat's analysis.
After beating their opponent 3-0 away from home and basically securing the qualification to advance, Manchester City would be absolutely crazy if they still wanted to fight Braga at home.
"Our biggest problem now is that we have three teams coming in rotation: Arsenal, Tottenham and Blackburn.
In terms of the schedule, Manchester City will first face Braga in the middle of the week, which is the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals. At the weekend, they will face Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League, but because Manchester City has also entered the FA Cup, the game against Tottenham Hotspur has been adjusted and postponed.
So, we will play Arsenal first at the weekend, then Tottenham Hotspur in the middle of next week, and then Blackburn at the weekend.
These three teams are all tough opponents!
Arsenal is in the FA Cup, and the outcome will be decided in one battle.
Tottenham Hotspur has the strength to be in the top four of the Premier League, and Manchester City is playing at home. If they are brought down, Manchester United behind them will inevitably narrow the gap again. Given the current situation, Manchester City will be in danger.
Even if there is any loosening, the advantage that the club has worked so hard to establish may be overturned at any time.
Finally, there is no need to say anything about Blackburn. This team is very difficult to deal with, and the first game between the two sides is proof of this.
In other words, these three games will be very difficult for Manchester City and they must try their best to win.
From the strategic perspective of the entire league, if Manchester City wins all three games, reaches the FA Cup final, and the Premier League basically establishes the general trend, then Manchester City can be said to have gotten out of its current predicament.
If they are entangled, the situation in the league will continue to be stalemate, while the FA Cup is a one-match decision game, and if you lose you will be eliminated.
"We will definitely not give up against Arsenal in the FA Cup, and we will also try our best to win against Tottenham and Blackburn in the league, so what lies before us now is how to make good use of the resources in our hands."
After Estiarte finished speaking, he looked at Guardiola and everyone present, then sat down silently.
Everyone knows that Manchester City’s biggest problem at the moment is the frontcourt attack.
To put it simply, the offense in the frontcourt is still weak.
It is no secret that Di Maria and Sanchez lack strong substitutes, so the media has been hyping that Manchester City wants to poach William, Douglas Costa and Teixeira from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Although Adam Johnson had some good performances, he still couldn't live up to expectations.
This is a consistent characteristic of English players, their ability to hold the ball is too weak.
Dzeko was brought in as a substitute for Su Dong. His strength is unquestionable, but his movements are still slow, which leads to some problems when he cooperates with Manchester City players, and he is not particularly adaptable to the league situation in the Premier League.
Now there are voices outside that Manchester City made the wrong choice when recruiting players. They should not have chosen Dzeko, but should have bought Suarez because the latter's performance at Liverpool was very eye-catching.
But sometimes, team transfers are not omnipotent and it is difficult to be 100% perfect.
So the problem now is that the core fighting force of Manchester City is the trident combination of Sudong, Di Maria and Sanchez, especially Sudong. When he is there, Manchester City has the confidence and courage.
The problem is, it's impossible to use Su Dong to death, right?
He is already one of the top three players in terms of playing time for Manchester City this season. If he is still used like this in March and April, there will be problems.
The best way is to take turns playing Su Dong, some as a starter and some as a substitute.
"Su, what do you think?" Guardiola asked.
Everyone immediately turned their attention to Su Dong, knowing that Su Dong's opinion was very important.
The coaching staff may even plan their lineup based on his opinions to prepare for the upcoming schedule.
Su Dong sat in his seat and looked at everyone's concerned eyes. He nodded slightly and said, "Logically speaking, the game against Arsenal is the most important. The FA Cup semi-final is another decisive match. I guess everyone will think that we should do our best to play against Arsenal, and then play against Tottenham Hotspur depending on the situation."
Everyone nodded, this kind of thinking is normal.
"But I don't know if you have noticed that the points between Tottenham and Chelsea are very close, which means that Tottenham will definitely fight us desperately for the top four spots. They will not give up any chance. This will be the most difficult battle."
The temptation of being in the top four of the league is self-evident.
The media reported earlier that Atletico Madrid played in the Champions League and did not win a single game in the group stage, but took away 16 million euros in bonuses. That's 16 million euros! If it were a Premier League team, the bonus would be even higher.
It can be said that this is an income that no team can give up.
With this bonus, Atletico Madrid broke into the top 20 of the European football club income rankings. With this money, they quickly upgraded their team's lineup.
If Atletico Madrid runs smoothly, the overall strength of the team will continue to improve in the next few years from now.
So Atletico Madrid has tasted the sweetness and will not even play in the Europa League this season, trying its best to reach the top four in the league.
Atletico Madrid understands this, so why don’t Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and other teams understand it?
If this is compared to a business, which company in the world can underestimate such a deal worth over 100 million yuan?
"Tottenham Hotspur is determined to get into the top four, and they will fight us to the end. In other words, this game will be a fight to the death like Arsenal's FA Cup knockout match!" Su Dong analyzed with certainty.
Everyone frowned immediately.
Whether it is Tottenham or Arsenal, they are well prepared and know it will be difficult.
But now that Su Dong said this, they suddenly felt that these two games would be more difficult than they had imagined, especially the home game against Tottenham Hotspur.
"What do you think?" Guardiola asked with concern.
"Concentrate your forces and fight the most difficult match."
Guardiola and everyone else frowned. Both games were difficult, which one was more difficult? "You mean, Tottenham Hotspur?" Begiristain guessed.
Su Dong nodded, "I think, in comparison, Tottenham Hotspur will be more difficult."
"Why?" Guardiola was curious.
No matter how you look at it, Tottenham Hotspur won't be more difficult, right?
Arsenal are in the FA Cup semi-finals, and with no chance in the league, Wenger will certainly do his best to win the FA Cup.
The same is true for Tottenham, but shouldn't it be harder for Arsenal?
"It depends on my feeling." Su Dong said helplessly, "Compared to Tottenham's defense, especially the central defenders, I think Arsenal will be easier to deal with."
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
Is this a reason? It seems to be true! But if Wenger heard this, he would probably cry miserably! Damn, isn't this too contemptuous?
Even though Manchester City won 9-1 away from home, it is not necessary to belittle Arsenal like that!
Who are you looking down on? "In the match against Arsenal, let Dzeko charge for a while. If we can win, that's fine. If we can't, give me 30 minutes!"
Everyone was shocked.
Can you beat Arsenal in 30 minutes? Although you are the protagonist, you have to be responsible for what you say!
Guardiola kept thinking about it in his mind.
If what Su Dong said is true, then Manchester City's main players can all be kept to play against Tottenham Hotspur.
Su Dong's idea was somewhat different from his previous thinking, but he also felt that Su Dong's idea had great potential.
To be frank, Arsenal also has its own problems. They have to play Liverpool before the FA Cup and Bolton away after the FA Cup. With Chelsea's rebound in the second half of the season, the gap between Arsenal and fourth-placed Chelsea and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur is not particularly large.
Does Wenger dare to bet on the FA Cup?
If you are not careful, you might even lose the top four!
(End of this chapter)
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