City fear factor set to ramp up as FA Cup takes centre stage...
JURGEN Klopp was wonderfully dramatic recently when he described the whole country as ‘starting to shake’ at Kevin De Bruyne warming up.
The Manchester City talisman has boldly said he wants to come back from a recurrence of his serious hamstring injury and become the best player in the world, although the reality is that not even Pep Guardiola knows how effective he can be.
The 32-year-old needs games to find his rhythm so even though he should improve the Premier League champions the trembling may not reach a crescendo for some time.
Klopp, however, identified how the mood can sometimes be more important than the reality.
The thought of De Bruyne returning to a side that is already in contention for another title is a major worry for everyone, another (particularly fiendish) tentacle to a monster who has proven too difficult to slay in many of the recent years.
City are the only team in the league to have this mantle of being machine or beast and while some fans may object to the dehumanising language it is a fairly accurate description of the qualities that make the team fearsome and feared; when Erling Haaland declared it hunting season last Christmas, the gulp that went around the Emirates was understandable.
Arsenal were guilty in the title run-in of playing the man while City played the ball, knowing that they could get on with business while their rivals struggled to put reputations to one side.
Despite the struggles of Guardiola’s side this season, their aura has not been lost.
A run of one win in six league games before Christmas was enough for them to drop to a 39.3 per cent chance of clinching another trophy in Opta’s live modelling of the title race, yet even without playing they had shot up another five per cent by Christmas Eve and wins over Everton and Sheffield United see them back at over 60.
That’s over 60 per cent chance at the halfway mark for a team that is sat in third place, five points behind leaders Liverpool albeit with a game in hand.
The mood on Merseyside should be buoyant, yet Klopp has already joked about his relief that City aren’t 15 points ahead again (even though they have only ever been during the Centurions season six years ago) and defender Trent AlexanderArnold has spoken of the expectation that the Blues will put another unbeatable winning run together.
With so little Premier League action in January, the mental toll that City place on teams can continue.
A strong result against Huddersfield in the FA Cup, particularly if any of Haaland, De Bruyne or Jeremy Doku are involved, will only set the country shaking even more.
City have shown themselves to be mortal this season in the Premier League, yet their work in past seasons is so impressive that the fear
With so little premier League action in January, the mental toll that City place on teams can continue
factor ramps up teams simply at the prospect of how good the champions could yet be.
such opportunities in the position may be soon limited with De Bruyne on the edge of a return.
City have failed to win any of the matches Rodri has missed this season but this tie provides an opportunity to arrest that poor statistic with Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes potentially being tasked with running the midfield. A Kalvin Phillips omission may be telling in regards to his expected January exit.
F - Bobb, Alvarez, Grealish Oscar Bobb has impressed in his 12 senior outings this season, most recently against Sheffield United.
He deserves a third start of the campaign and the game provides a platform for him to really show his skill set.
Julian Alvarez is the obvious choice up top with Haaland out, the Argentine being keen to build on his goal tally in the No.9 position. Jack Grealish may be selected to start on the left to ensure enough experience is in the side but will likely be replaced at some stage - perhaps for rising starlet Micah Hamilton.