BRIGHTON ROCK
. . . but City at Wembley is their ‘reward’
SWANSEA 2 Grimes 20 pen, Celina 29 MAN CITY 3 Bernardo 69, Nordfeldt 78 (og), Aguero 88
The touchline celebrations had that little bit extra. elongated, certainly. Manchester City knew they had been in a fight and that their Quadruple chances looked over until an intervention from the bench.
There were similar scenes in Gelsenkirchen four weeks ago. Pep Guardiola found himself in a long embrace with chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and Txiki Begiristain after dramatically beating Schalke. Again, they came from behind after looking bereft at Swansea. Again, they left with a result. Again, it felt like a significant moment.
City have issues: reacting to adversity and navigating a way out of the fog. But they have an abundance of resolve and, while this was against a team 15th in the Championship, another comeback serves to invigorate.
From here, a domestic Treble looks eminently achievable. Anything less would be a slight disappointment given Manchester United fell out of the FA Cup a couple of hours later.
The City manager and his squad whisked themselves off on holiday immediately afterwards, to recharge their batteries.
‘I’m tired,’ Guardiola conceded after 19 games since the turn of the year. ‘I prefer to be in that position, honestly. But tomorrow you will not find me in Manchester, I assure you.’
Some others will be. Kevin De Bruyne, Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho and Benjamin Mendy are all staying put to recover from various injuries, most of which should clear before a trip to Fulham on March 30.
John Stones will meet up with england purely to check on his injury. Those who are fit but not going away were given a fitness programme for the next seven days but are not expected at the City Football Academy.
So, there is a little bit of rest. Key players are stopping, whereas Liverpool, the other component in this absorbing title race, are waving goodbye to the majority of their squad.
‘I will pray,’ Guardiola said. ‘Pray my players come back fit. They have to go play with their national team, enjoy, help their own national teams but hopefully they will come back fit.
‘The Cardiff match is (now) midweek. Before the Tottenham (Champions League) first leg we have an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, so it’s crazy. We need everybody. The players who play incredibly have to sustain that level and the players who need to increase, they have to improve.’
Fabian Delph, Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez are those who need to find another level, all hooked with City appearing to be heading out of the FA Cup to lower-league opponents again.
Sane, who threw his gloves to the floor in anger at being substituted, is the most likely to recapture his best. Mahrez does not look like a £60million footballer right now. how many more opportunities the error-prone Delph gets remains to be seen.
Bernardo Silva continues to carry City and was instrumental in crushing Swansea’s fairytale.
‘All the players feel this season can be special,’ said Bernardo. ‘Last season was special in the way we won the Premier League, this season can be special because we’ve already won one competition and we’re still playing for three.
‘We’re trying to make something special and write an important page in the history of this club.
‘There are no perfect teams, so we try to improve. We know in some moments of the game we’re not as good as some.’
That is refreshing to hear from someone whose team have won 19 of the last 20 matches — including the Carabao Cup final — and he is right. There are times when City are engulfed by a swarm, particularly away, and that must be eradicated to complete a clean sweep. They are striving for perfection. Nothing less will suffice.
In mid-March, City have found themselves favourites for both the FA Cup and Premier League. Many are also tipping them in europe. With United’s defeat at Wolves, the Quadruple bid suddenly feels very real.
Watching it unfold or unravel promises to be box-office stuff.
A MAN was charged with pitch encroachment following the tie. South Wales Police announced two teenagers were also cautioned for the same offence.