Swagger returns for City slickers
WE CAN IMPOSE OUR WILL ON ANY TEAM Sublime De Bruyne the difference beween the two teams.
For Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s 1-0 victory at Premier League champions Chelsea was a sign that his team can now impose their style upon any of their title rivals.
Accustomed to seeing his Barcelona and Bayern Munich sides lord it over all and sundry, Guardiola had a reality check in his first season at City, who were well beaten by teams such as Leicester City and Everton.
But the dominant nature of Saturday’s win at Stamford Bridge, secured by Chelsea old boy Kevin de Bruyne’s 67th-minute strike, convinced him City can stamp their authority on any contest.
“We try with Manchester City to convince the club that we are able to go wherever and play our game and not wait to see what happened,” Guardiola said.
City’s control of the match was total, pinning Chelsea inside their own half.
Victory took City back above Manchester United on goal difference at the top of the table, five points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and six clear of Chelsea.
But Guardiola knows the finishing line is a long way away.
“Chelsea won 15 (actually 13) games in a row last season. They were unbeatable and won the league well in advance,” he told his post-match press conference.
De Bruyne’s strike, a 20-yard effort with his left foot past Belgium team-mate Thibaut Courtois, came after his sparkling goal in City’s 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.
De Bruyne left Chelsea for Wolfsburg in January 2014 and although the Blues’ current manager Antonio Conte said he did not know about the circumstances of the 26-year-old’s departure, he paid him a glowing tribute.
“I don’t know what happened in the past,” said the Italian, who guided Chelsea to the title in his maiden campaign.
“But we are talking about a really good player, a top player, because he is a good technical (player), fast, good personality, runs a lot. I think he’s a complete player.”
Spanish striker Alvaro Morata underwent tests yesterday, having been substituted in the first half as a precaution after feeling a twinge in his left hamstring, but Conte expressed hope it was not serious. – AFP