Can anyone stop Manchester City?
MANCHESTER: Arsene Wenger says it will be “difficult” for any team to stop Manchester City from winning the Premier League after his Arsenal side lost 3-1 at the Etihad yesterday – a result which left him fuming at referee Michael Oliver.
Wenger said City’s quality, shown in their club record 15 straight wins in all competitions, makes it hard to imagine any team over-taking them but he also took aim at the officials after his team suffered a disputed penalty and a goal which appeared offside.
The win gave City an eightpoint lead over Manchester United and left them 12 points clear of the Gunners.
“Can anyone stop them? It will be difficult this season, the way they have started the quality they have, but you never know. If, on top of that, they have decisions at home like that, they will be unstoppable,” Wenger told reporters.
City went 2-0 up five minutes into the second half after referee Oliver ruled that Nacho Monreal had bundled over Raheem Sterling inside the area and Sergio Aguero converted from the spot.
Arsenal players disputed that decision and were also upset that City’s third goal came after a pass from David Silva whom television replays showed was narrowly in an offside position.
“I don’t want to take anything away from the quality, but it happened at a moment when we were really in the game at 2-1 and it killed the game. It is the second year. We got two offside goals here last year and one this year,” Wenger added.
The 68-year-old Frenchman felt his team had created opportunities and were in the contest until the controversial third goal.
“I felt it was an intense game of quality of both sides. Man City are on a high but I felt we had plenty of dangerous situations and chances,” he said.
“Overall, once again, the referee made the decision again, with a penalty and an offside goal. We are used to it when we come here.
“I feel they (referees) don’t work enough, because it happens every season. It is unacceptable”.
City’s zip was missing and the tell-tale signs of fatigue were evident after their midweek trip to Naples, but manager Pep Guardiola said his team had shown the mental strength yesterday to keep winning.
City with nine wins in a row in the Premier League are on 31 points at the top of the table.
It is the best start to a season any team has made in the Premier League era after 11 games and it is surely not only Wenger who finds it hard to see anyone catching City this season.
But for 46-year-old Spaniard Guardiola, whose task is to ensure no complacency slips into his dressing-room, the main source of pride was the way his team coped with the tiredness at the end of a week which saw a 4-2 Champions League Group F win at Napoli on Wednesday.
“Considering after the Champions League game we were so, so tired at moments but we were mentally strong enough. We won it, we deserve it, three more points,” said Guardiola.
“We spoke that we will be more tired than them (Arsenal), but we cannot be more tired in our heads. We were together, the body language in the second half was good. It is not easy because Arsenal made a good high pressing (game).”
Guardiola said his team failed, too often, to deliver the right final pass and it was a match in which their play lacked the fluency they have shown in much of the campaign so far.
But the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager is clearly impressed that his side are getting results against the top sides.
Liverpool were beaten 5-0 at the Etihad, Chelsea fell 1-0 at home and now Arsenal, something of a bogey team who City have only beaten once in their previous nine games, have succumbed.
“Last season we were only able to win twice against the big teams, This season in November, we already won three times,” said Guardiola.
“We spoke about that. If you want to win the Premier League , you have to win, especially at home, against Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea. It is so hard to win away,” he said.
But for all his evident delight, Guardiola has no time for phrases such as “unstoppable” and “unbeatable”.
“All I know is everybody can beat us. That is a principle in all sports. It doesn’t matter what happens in the past. You can win the Champions League and lose the day after. That is football, basketball, all the sports. It is so important if you want to fight more to win the title”.
Elsewhere, Alvaro Morata’s second-half header secured Chelsea a 1-0 win over United in an entertaining league clash yesterday as Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge ended in defeat.
Morata’s brilliantly-taken header in the 55th minute was the difference on another frustrating trip to London for United, with six of their last seven away defeats coming in the capital.
United pressed for an equaliser, with Mourinho throwing all his attacking options on from the bench, but they did not test Thibaut Courtois enough in the Chelsea goal, mustering just two shots on target in the whole match.
Chelsea stay fourth on 22 points, the win breathing life into their hopes of retaining the title. Antonio Conte’s men are within a point of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur and second-placed United.
Meanwhile, Everton staged a remarkable comeback to beat Watford 3-2 and escape the Premier League relegation zone yesterday – Leighton Baines converting a stoppage-time penalty to lift the gloom at Goodison Park. – Reuters