NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Bernardo Silva insisting Manchester City retaining the Premier League name is a foregone conclusion, despite Liverpool and Arsenal handing the initiative to the reigning champions after last weekend’s surprise defeats.
Pep Guardiola’s ruthless winning device was ominously headed towards the more sensible after a crushing 5-1 win over Luton, and watched with excitement as their closest rivals were beaten through Crystal Palace and Aston Villa just 24 hours later.
With six games left and a two-point lead, few would face City to win what would be an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.
A back-to-back hat-trick also remains a possibility, but speaking ahead of the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, Silva warned that the situation could change dramatically in the area in a matter of days.
“Obviously it was a very smart weekend for us, I’m not going to deny it because personally I didn’t expect any of the groups to lose points,” Silva said.
“Before, we didn’t just count on ourselves, so we had to do our homework and wait for them to lose points.
“Now the scenario has changed a bit because we only have ourselves, because if we do our job well we will win the Premier League, we are very satisfied with the effects and we will deny it.
“But there’s still a long way to go. Two weeks ago, when we were playing Arsenal, everything disappeared and now it looks like Manchester City are going to win the Premier League.
“In two weeks, maybe he’ll be replaced again. That’s why football is beautiful, because things are replaced so temporarily and you have to aim game after game. It’s not smart to start thinking about three-pointers because it’s not realistic.
“We have to take it game by game, tomorrow Madrid, then this weekend we have a difficult game against Chelsea in the FA Cup, and then we have the Premier League.
“In one week, we can lose all 3 competitions. We have to play match after match, do our job well and make this hope bigger for another week and, eventually, I hope we will do it again.
Despite injuries to key defensive personnel, City left the Bernabeu a week ago with a respectable 3-3 draw that put them in a solid position to triumph in the back four.
Kyle Walker may return to play a role in keeping the threat of Vinicius Junior in check and Silva is enjoying the potential return of his captain.
“Kyle Walker is a player who has controlled some of the players in the world,” he said.
“He does incredibly well, he’s a vital player for us. . . Now we have it. . . But if he doesn’t play, we have other solutions, other options. “
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