After playing them just two weeks ago, Manchester City will play Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.
All people were content. feeling relieved that the losing streak was over. In spite of being booed off and down by two goals, they had shown grit to rally and win the game easily. Except for Pep Guardiola, everyone was relieved that the crisis had been resolved.
A little more than two weeks ago, Manchester City headed into a game against their archrival Tottenham already feeling hopeless. A season that still feels like it hasn’t really begun was brought to a new low by Southampton’s elimination from the Carabao Cup and a heartbreaking loss to rival Manchester United.
It was not ideal for them to then have the specter of Spurs looming over them. Even though Antonio Conte’s team was having trouble, Tottenham continued to frustrate City despite all odds pointing to a defeat. The jeers rang like a banshee’s shriek when a dull first half came to an end with errors handing them two goals. Was the title race’s demise imminent?
Instead, the Blues executed an exorcism in the second half and vanquished their monster. In order to carry his uninspiring team to victory, the brilliant Riyad Mahrez was crucial, scoring twice and assisting on another goal. It was by no means a stellar performance, but the spirited victory deserves to be praised. A burden seemed to be removed. The smiles came back.
That is, until a grumpy Guardiola, with a face of thunder, barged in for his TV interview. His 20-minute diatribe in his press conference after his outburst about Sky revealed a man who had grown utterly frustrated with how disproportionately fat his side had become on success. His outburst on Sky is already well-known.
“We cannot deny our happiness, but despite how well we played in the second half, we are still a far cry from the team we once were in terms of many other factors, including our lack of competitiveness in light of the tasks ahead.
“What do you lack? A burning determination to succeed right now. The same holds true for our fans and onlookers. They remain this quiet for 45 minutes. Perhaps because we were so confident after winning four Premier League titles in five years, people respond when we score goals, but that is not the purpose.
“The bowels and stomach contain nothing. We were fortunate, but if nothing changes, we will eventually lose ground again.”
The fact that Guardiola publicly and viciously criticized his players after the victory made the point much more poignant. City has been struggling for the majority of the season, and if things don’t turn around soon, they will lose the championship.
Since then, a counterattack has resulted in two victories. A straightforward 3-0 triumph against Wolves was followed by what might turn out to be a crucial FA Cup victory over the Gunners. Guardiola still wants more despite the fact that none of the performances were especially compelling.
After the Wolves game, he commented, “Yeah, it’s getting better, but I have to wait just one day.” “The way we played today was quite similar to the first half against Spurs when we were trailing 2-0. That football was very, really brilliant, but the score was 2-0. The upcoming games will reveal what transpires.”
Coming up against the team he spoke those things about after playing is the best way to determine whether his side has taken all of his advice to heart. On Sunday, City will go to the south to play Spurs once more. This time around, it will be more difficult for them because they haven’t yet managed to win a game at their new stadium.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the hideout of Spurs, City’s bogeymen. Where the greatest significant harm has been done. In the few games they have played there, City has lost some devastating and enraging games, and it will take all the guts and drive Guardiola wants to see to finally put an end to their terrible streak.
The coach will soon learn which of his players paid attention to his advice and which would still need the message re-emphasized.