Manchester City are four wins away from glory, and Sunday’s victory over Everton showed exactly why they are so close to what would be an amazing treble.
People often talk quite bluntly about how a team has a winning mentality without properly examining the details behind it, but what City did at Goodison Park was a perfect example of that. What is their level of success?
I was quite surprised before the Everton game when I saw that Pep Guardiola had gone with three of the back four who faced Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday – for John Stones. The only change was Emerick Laporte.
I think it was out of respect for the threat Everton pose after their recent performances, but it’s also a sign that Guardiola has complete faith in the players he’s selected – not just his own. Physically, but also with their mentality – one of the most important weeks of their season.
No Razzmatazz, no problem
One of the hardest things in football is to play a really big game and then go straight into what, on paper, is little more than an event.
City did so when they went from playing at the Bernabeu – in a monumental game between two of the world’s best teams that was watched across the planet – to a team battling it out at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon. .
For starters, Goodison not only lacked the same razzmatazz, but more importantly there was also the risk that, given Everton’s league position, some City players would think they could easily win. are
That complacency was not due to the professionalism of the team, they all did their bit defensively when it mattered, and at the heart of it all was a rock-solid back four.
So, when I talk about a player’s winning mentality, I’m talking about Manuel Akanji giving Alex Iwobi the same respect he gave Rodrigo, and Kyle Walker giving Dwight McNeil treated as if he were as good as Vinicius Jr.
Such was the case with the behavior of forwards Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden, who were left on the bench against Real, then returned on Sunday.
They didn’t get frustrated and didn’t look like they were disappointed to lose the big game, instead they knew they had a job to do and they did every bit of it – with Foden scoring one in the second half. Also tracked down to win crucial defensive headers. Post back.
That’s the mindset you need to win trophies. You also need the ability to win games, of course – through creativity and goals – but you also need the mentality and physicality to go the distance on so many fronts every season, as City do.
Most of their players went to the World Cup before Christmas but they all look so strong and fit-wise that they are arriving at just the right time.
After watching them on Sunday, I think they all deserve credit. There are plenty of people in City’s squad that you can admire, but it’s the collective that has got them to this position, and it’s also why they got the points against Everton.
