Manchester Evening News

Unwanted record is set to go

- By SIMON BAJKOWSKI By STUART BRENNAN

CITY have been setting plenty of records under Pep Guardiola, and could yet achieve more as they chase an unpreceden­ted Quadruple this season.

As well as their trophy hunts, the Blues are well on course to smash the English record for the most goals in all competitio­ns in a campaign – a scarcely believable 61 since the turn of the year moves them onto 139, meaning they need just 18 from at least 11 games to beat the standard set by Manuel Pellegrini’s City in 2013/14.

So swift has been the rise of the club since the 2008 takeover, though, that it is not hard to remember a time when they were exceptiona­l for the wrong reasons. It is just 20 years since they were in the third tier of English football and things did not get easier on their return to the Premier League.

City fans that sat through home games under Stuart Pearce (above) in 2006/07 – wear it as a badge of honour as the Blues set a record low for goals scored. In 19 games, they managed to score only 10 goals at home - including, incredibly, none after New Year’s Day.

That tally, though, is under threat. Huddersfie­ld have been so meek at the John Smith’s Stadium that Harry Kane held the title of top scorer at the ground for five months, and the Terriers are running out of time to catch up with Pearce’s City.

With just seven goals in 16 games this season, they have to get at least four from remaining fixtures with Leicester, Watford, and United to avoid taking the unwanted record away from the Etihad. Huddersfie­ld are 16 points from safety in the Premier League. PEP Guardiola has long been a critic of English football’s crazy non-stop schedule, claiming Christmas could well ‘kill the players.’

But the City manager might just have landed a mid-season break for six of his most vital players.

The internatio­nal fortnight is regarded by many football fans as a nuisance, an unwelcome interrupti­on to the excitement of the club season.

But with the Blues pursuing an unpreceden­ted Quadruple, Guardiola might well see the upcoming break – which starts after his team’s FA Cup quarter-final at Swansea on Saturday – as a huge bonus.

If Guardiola could have picked a handful of players to be rested for the fortnight, he could hardly have wished for a more suitable group.

Sergio Aguero’s internatio­nal exile continues as he has been left out of the Argentina squad for friendly games in Spain and Morocco.

So instead of another couple of games to add to his recent schedule of six starts in three weeks he is almost certain to be given a short sunshine break.

Aymeric Laporte has been City’s defensive constant this season and his brilliant form has not yet forced France head coach Didier Deschamps to revise his refusal to pick him after the defender’s dalliance with Spain.

Unless Deschamps relents, Laporte will also get a break and as one of two City players to have clocked up 35 starts this season, that will also be opportune for Guardiola.

The other City player with 35 starts is Fernandinh­o, who Guardiola predicted would be fit to return after the internatio­nals. He has fallen off Brazil’s radar, although he has never officially retired, and so should have a week or two of proper rest and rehabilita­tion.

The worrying prospect of losing their key midfield kingpin at a crucial stage of the season has been turned into a positive, partly by Ilkay Gundogan’s fine form in his place.

David Silva HAS retired from internatio­nal football, largely so that at moments like this he can recharge his batteries rather than jetting off to Spain or Euro 2020 qualifiers.

His experience and know-how in unlocking tight defences could prove crucial in the run-in. Belgium have yet to announce their squad, but at the moment it appears unlikely that either Kevin De Bruyne or Vincent Kompany will get the call for games against Russia and Cyprus. Guardiola might have liked to see workaholic Bernardo Silva and consistent starters Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker get a break, but the timing has undoubtedl­y fallen kindly for him. Much has been made of the fact that City’s involvemen­t in four competitio­ns has meant their players have piled up the minutes, possibly handing title rivals Liverpool an advantage in a hectic finish to the season. But Liverpool’s star performers, with the notable exception of Mo Salah – given leave to miss Egypt’s African Nations qualifiers – will all fly out to link up with their national squads. Internatio­nal breaks, with all their attendant problems of long-haul flights, extra exertions and dodgy pitches, have played a part in title races in the past, and this one could be the same. Stuart Brennan

 ??  ?? David Silva has retired from internatio­nal football
David Silva has retired from internatio­nal football
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