Records nothing without silverware, says Guardiola
NUNO ESPIRITO Santo says Wolves will not tackle the task of trying to halt Manchester City’s record-breaking winning streak tonight with the mentality of having nothing to lose.
Wolves, 12th in the table and unbeaten in their last five league games, won 2-0 at City last term and 3-2 in the return fixture, although they lost 3-1 to City at
Molineux in September. Asked if City’s form meant Wolves have nothing to lose, Nuno (left) said: ‘We never approach a game like that. There’s always something to lose and always something to gain. What we have [to do] is compete. City will create a lot of questions and problems for us. We have to find solutions and give answers.’
PEP GUARDIOLA claims Manchester City have no time to enjoy being record breakers because winning runs count for nothing if they do not lead to silverware.
The Premier League leaders have won their last 20 matches in all competitions, a new record for an English top-flight side.
It is also the third best winning sequence across Europe’s recognised ‘top five’ leagues, behind only the 23 notched up by Bayern Munich last year and Real Madrid’s 22 successive victories in 2014.
Yet with City chasing glory on four fronts this season, Guardiola says he cannot stop and appreciate the achievement.
He said: ‘We don’t have time. There are many games, every three days a game, so we have to rest and think of the next one.
‘We are delighted with what we have done so far, we cannot deny it. If no team has done it before it means how difficult it is. But, at the end, what counts in the world is if you lift the trophies or not.
‘There is a lot of work to do and I have signals that we can still improve.’
West Ham boss David Moyes described
The crown, if you want to take it you have to win it – in February or March no one is champion
City as the best side in Europe after the London club were beaten at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but Guardiola says that accolade is still to be earned.
He said: ‘The best team in Europe is Bayern Munich because they won everything, they are the best. In England the champions are Liverpool, they are the best.
‘The crown, if you want to take it, you have to win – in February, March no one is champion.’
City are 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League and City boss Guardiola feels the coming week will be crucial to their title hopes.
Starting with Wolves tonight, they face three home games in the next ten days, with second-placed Manchester United and Southampton the other visitors.
Guardiola said: ‘We know how important this week is, with Wolves, United and Southampton before travelling to Fulham, these three games at home.
‘If we are able to do what we want to do we will make an incredible step but we have to do many things still.’
BRENDAN RODGERS has cast aside the gloom of damaging back-to-back defeats and a growing injury list by insisting Leicester are doing even better this season than last term.
In-form Harvey Barnes goes under the knife today and faces six weeks out after being stretchered off with a knee injury in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.
That followed hot on the heels of their Europa League exit to Slavia Prague and 23-year-old Barnes has now joined Ayoze Perez, Dennis Praet, James Maddison, Wesley Fofana, James Justin and Wes Morgan on the sidelines.
The Foxes only missed out on a top-four spot on the final day of last season but Rodgers believes they are doing better this time around – even though they have a point fewer than at the same stage last year, when they were also third in the table after 26 games.
‘I believe so, in terms of until this point, yes,’ he said.
‘We have had injuries of course but we have also had European football to contend with and I think we see it with some teams that it can prove difficult, but the players have been absolutely brilliant up until this point. But we haven’t done anything yet.
‘People talk about the top four but my attitude is that we are not in the top four until we see where we are at after the last game of the season.
‘There is nothing to lose then because we haven’t got anything yet. You have to get to the end of the season and see where you finish in May.
‘There are 12 games to go and it is a process now over these next three months and it is something we are going to relish and enjoy.’
In addition to the growing absentee list, striker Jamie Vardy and defender Jonny Evans are set to play through the pain when Leicester visit Burnley tomorrow.
Vardy has been cleared to play despite nursing a sore groin after the defeat to Arsenal but Evans’ ongoing calf issue is cause for concern after he came off with 20 minutes left on Sunday.
‘He’ll have a scan just to see where that’s at,’ said Rodgers. ‘Jonny is from the old school, he’ll play through anything and everything to help out his team.
‘It’s been an issue for a few weeks and (against Arsenal) it was aggravating it up to a point where, later on, he couldn’t continue. We’ll get a scan done and see where he’s at.’
Jonny is old school, he’ll play through anything to help out this team