PEP’S TREBLE HEROES ARE NOW LOOKING FOURMIDABLE
City are hitting top gear as they chase new Prem record
PEP GUARDIOLA’S men have been untouchable for the past three seasons.
And now Manchester City have got their sights set on another piece of history as they go for a recordbreaking fourth title in a row.
Even more worrying for the rest, they seem to have hit top gear in the run-in even earlier this year – and will take some stopping.
Phil Foden is in the form of his life, Kevin De Bruyne has returned just in time for the business end of the season and Erling Haaland (right, with Guardiola) is fit again.
It looks pretty ominous for the rest as the Blues are sending out a message of intent with every victory and performance.
Boss Guardiola has developed a remarkable knack for perfect timing by going on a winning streak to shake off any challengers.
City can make it 10 straight wins in all competitions if they beat Everton on Saturday, and it would also be their sixth Premier League victory in a row.
That is a daunting sequence of results and now begs the question whether the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham can last the pace.
And City midfield superstar De Bruyne believes his team’s experience and “knowing what we need to do” when it comes to winning titles can be the deciding factor this season.
De Bruyne admitted: “There are so many teams there.
“Liverpool and Arsenal are there with us, but I’d say even Aston Villa and Tottenham are close.
“We will be fighting with five for the moment. There’s a little pressure anyway to do well, but there’s no point looking at what’s going to happen in two months.
“We need to win games now and try to enjoy it. We know what we need to do. The pressure is always there, but we’re ready to fight again until the end.”
City now have their own destiny back in their hands. They are two points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand and are still in the FA Cup, and the Treble winners will resume the defence of their European crown this month.
Villa have lost ground in recent weeks but were back to their best with a five-goal thrashing of Sheffield United. Arsenal clawed their way back into the race by beating Liverpool on Sunday while Spurs were pegged back at Everton.
They are all dropping points while City go from strength to strength – and if there is one player who is hitting form at the right time then it is Foden.
But the England star insists that even City have no margin for error in such a tight title race.
Foden said: “Liverpool and Arsenal are playing really well at the moment, and I don’t see them dropping many points – that’s the standard of the Premier League. It’s going to be close, we have to be at our best form and play our best football if we want to win the league. We have to take it game by game and not think too far ahead.
“We have to keep putting points on the table and not slip up – we’ve done that and done it in the past.”
And Foden is ready to take his game to a new level with more goals and assists after his stunning hat-trick at Brentford. He has scored 15 times this season and is chasing his best-ever return.
He added: “I’ve been getting goals and assists recently and playing more centrally – that’s one of the reasons why.
It’s important for me to be an attacker and get the goals and assists.
“The team needs to rely on players like me to find a solution – I want to be that player.
“I’m playing with quality and world class players, they always find me in good areas and it’s down to them.
“It’s a little bit on me, running in behind and trying to score. I want to be threatening in behind and try to get goals and assists.”