SILVA: FANS CRAVE ANOTHER PREM LEAGUE TITLE.. THE CLUB WANTS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
RIYAD MAHREZ has revealed Manchester City’s stars are icecool ahead of the title run-in – compared to the Leicester dressing room three years ago. The Algeria winger hit the winner at Bournemouth on Saturday to send the champions top ahead of Liverpool for the first time in more than two months. Mahrez, a key figure in the Foxes’ Premier League win three years ago, said: “At Leicester we had a feeling where no one had won the league, but here everyone has won it so it’s not the same. It’s more calm and composed. We know what to do. “At Leicester, everyone was like, ‘We have to win! We have to win! Quick!’ There is no comparison. Everyone here is good, everyone is focused and BERNARDO SILVA claims Manchester City fans want to win the Premier League more than the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s team have their title defence back in their hands after Liverpool’s goalless draw in the Merseyside derby. And the Carabao Cup winners have a 3-2 first leg lead in their Champions League tie with Schalke.
City have won the English title five times but never Europe’s top club competition – and they and the players have repeatedly stated their ambition to win the Champions League. But Silva said: “From the fans there is greater pressure to win the Premier League.
“The club, they are a little bit like Paris Saint-Germain, they have never won the Champions League. There is this desire among everyone to do something about that because it is the best competition in Europe.
“So of course we want to go as far as possible, we know it is not easy because in Europe you have to play against Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, the English teams too.
“I think that these two competitions are the ones where we will look to go as far as possible.”
Portugal’s Silva (left), who signed from Monaco in 2017 after winning Ligue 1 and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, is set to sign a new six-year contract at the Etihad Stadium.