Manchester City on brink of glory amid derby heat
PREMIER LEAGUE Guardiola’s men eye title with unprecedented six games left LONDON:
Manchester City can ease the pain of their Champions League defeat to Liverpool by clinching the Premier League title against bitter rivals Manchester United on Saturday in record time.
Pep Guardiola’s men will become the first team in the league’s 26-year history to wrap up the title with six games to spare if they beat United at the Etihad - a fitting end to a season of almost total dominance.
City are 16 points clear of Jose Mourinho’s second-placed team so it is a matter of when rather than if they wrap up the Premier League title, the first of Guardiola’s reign in England.
The runaway leaders will be desperate to reassert themselves after their 3-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions league quarter-final at Anfield.
But the derby comes just three days before the return leg of their European tie and Guardiola faces a difficult balancing act, still believing he can overturn the Champions League deficit.
“Nobody believes but we have another game,” said Guardiola. “We have to accept it and now we have United at home and then Liverpool at home. Of course it is difficult but we believe.”
United, serial winners of the Premier League under former manager Alex Ferguson, will be desperate to throw a spanner.
City star Kevin De Bruyne knows staging their title celebrations while United are forced to watch is a delicious prospect. “These are the games you play the whole season for. It would be wonderful, something different,” he said. “You know how it goes between City and United, you know the history, so it would be historic. The sooner we do it, the better.”
BALANCE OF POWER
After decades of living in United’s shadow, City have changed the balance of power in Manchester firmly in their
favour and are on the verge of their third title since 2012.
Having endured a disappointing first season with City, Guardiola has silenced the critics who claimed his purist principles would not work in the cut-throat Premier League, meshing his desire for a passing style with an ability to compete physically.
Belgian midfielder De Bruyne has been their driving force, while David Silva, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero have all played key roles.
Guardiola won his first English silverware in February when City trounced Arsenal in
the League Cup final.
By then, City had already turned the title race into a lengthy coronation and it would be fitting if they complete their journey with one more recordbreaking victory, even though their probable Champions League exit threatens to cast a shadow over the celebrations.
City set a record earlier this season by winning 18 successive league matches and a host of other statistical milestones are within their reach. Currently on 84 points, the leaders are chasing Chelsea’s Premier League tally of 95 points set in 2004-05.