Natural born winners
CITY ARE 11 GAMES AWAY FROM IMMORTALITY
MANCHESTER City are 11 games from football immortality.
With four wins required to win the Premier League and a Carabao Cup final, FA Cup semi-final and Champions League quarter-final second leg coming up, City can do something no other side has done and win the quadruple.
Of course, such a feat won’t be easy, and City could be out of two competitions by Saturday evening if things don’t go to plan.
If they get past Dortmund and
Chelsea, tricky games against PSG or Bayern Munich and Leicester or Southampton await.
The Carabao Cup final against Tottenham won’t be easy by any stretch, either.
For that reason, Pep Guardiola needs his full squad available, but also he needs to have an idea of his strongest starting XI. A side he can turn to that will step up in the big moments against tough opposition and keep calm to ensure the dream stays alive.
Against Leeds at the weekend, Guardiola made seven changes to rest some of those key players and let others prove why they deserve a chance in these final games of the season. A disappointing 2-1 defeat proved that some are not ready to take that chance.
Assuming Ederson starts every big game between now and the end of the season – although Zack Steffen might be picked in the domestic cups – Guardiola’s first choice defence also seems straightforward.
There were four players who could play left-back on the pitch against Leeds, and you sense it will be Joao Cancelo given the nod on the big stage in the next two months. Aleks Zinchenko is solid, but Cancelo has had a better season, while Benjamin Mendy and Nathan Ake are unlikely to be trusted in semifinals or finals.
Ruben Dias is the first name on the teamsheet, with John Stones his most reliable partner this season. Kyle Walker completes the first-choice XI defence.
Into midfield, and the bench against Leeds gives a better indication of Guardiola’s plans for the next few weeks.
With Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan rested, they are the trio that Guardiola will continue to turn to. Fernandinho will offer experience in reserve.
The bench also shows what Guardiola thinks of his forward line. Sergio
Aguero was injured but City have learned to play without him. Gabriel Jesus was imperious in the two wins over Real Madrid last season, but has been a little inconsistent this season and Guardiola finally seems to have perfected how to use a false nine.
So when it comes to the strongest side going into the run-in, expect no striker on a teamsheet just as much as having a recognised forward involved.
Phil Foden’s consistency this season has moved him above Raheem Sterling on the left – although picking between the two is hardly a bad problem to have. Riyad Mahrez has had his best season for the Blues on the right and seems to improve with a false nine to his left.
And for that false nine role, Bernardo Silva’s versatility, excellent tactical flexibility and endless energy puts him as prime candidate to lead the line.
His ability to play across the front three or drop back when De Bruyne or Gundogan drive forward also gives Guardiola more protection when playing without a striker. So when Guardiola needs to get his big game selections right in the coming games, maybe this is the core XI that have earned the right to get City over the line.
Maybe this is the core XI that have earned the right to get City over the line