It is unlikely that TS Eliot, a resident of north London, is an Arsenal fan, but his poetry suggests otherwise.
“April is the cruelest month,” The Waste Land begins. “I cried and fasted, cried and prayed,” laments J. Alfred Prufrock’s The Love Song. Thus ends the challenge; not with a bang but with a groan,” probably the first draft of The Hollow Men.
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Sunday was a disappointing day not only for Arsenal and Liverpool fans, but also for neutrals who wanted to see the three-way name war continue. Liverpool’s 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace and Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Villa leave Manchester City Two things clear at the top of La Liga and, as favourites, Pep Guardiola’s side are almost impossible.
“I knew everything, I knew everything,” Eliot groaned. But courage, Tommy. There is hope.
Here are 10 very realistic reasons why City can still drop points.
This is a serious article, so let’s get serious. Can a team achieve the treble twice in a row? With injuries mounting, games tripling and feelings deepening, can City wake up once again?
There’s an explanation for why a triple (or double, really) is so rare. Playing in competitions has an impact. When the margins are so narrow, the fatigue point, tactical planning, and intellectual freshness are even more crucial.
When cup competitions are played in knockout formats, league matches against lower-ranked teams are naturally the ones that can get confusing. City host Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, and face Chelsea in the FA Cup three days later. , before travelling to Brighton days later.
Guardiola has already said City have “big, big problems” with fatigue and injuries. So is this one explanation for why there is hope for Liverpool and Arsenal?
I won two, lost five. Has Guardiola ever had such a bad record?Facing Lionel Messi in the challenge of the crossbar?Credit card roulette in Manchester’s most productive restaurants?Uno Family Circle Games?
City have struggled with the Spurs. Su record in the Premier League in north London is worse than any other game. Yes, they arguably would have beaten them in the FA Cup in January, but that record doesn’t come with their Champions League quarter-final defeat in 2019.
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Every coach’s brain has a dark room where he stores his worst defeats. Guardiola, a brewery in Beavertown and a retractable NFL field.
Tottenham arguably would have been beaten through Newcastle, but any of their meetings with City this season have been close. They still have the Champions League ahead of them and probably wouldn’t back down.
Since when does that make you, as Roy Keane suggested, a League Two player?
If Haaland fails to score for the rest of the season, a verbal exchange is likely to ensue. For now, City’s rivals can only hope that the wheel comes off the clock.
“I always think too much,” Guardiola said in 2022. I’m always coming up with new tactics and ideas, and you’ll see a new one. I think a lot, that’s why I have very smart results. I love it. “
“If it works, I’m brave; if not, then too much,” he added a year later. So keep going, be brave.
When 4 centre-backs are already played, why prevent there?
A back 4 is made up of Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol. John Stones is already almost a central midfielder. Plonk Kyle Walker (yes, he can count as a centre-back) on the right wing.
The rest of them? Remember Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis and place him front and middle in the role of Andy Carroll. At 6-foot-5 (196 cm), Finley Burns will have to be decent at the net. Luke Mbete can come back from Den Bosch and use his left foot from the left wing. Max Alleyne, 18, has been on the bench this season. Do you want to sign the Stones in the double pivot? There is already talk of the technical quality of 16-year-old Stephen Mfuni. Put it at number 10.
Guardiola believes in football in general. Everything will be fine. When you win it all, the only way to win is. . . Earn better.
Imagine the scenario: Nottingham Forest fighting for Premier League survival and keeping City at bay. In the 71st minute, Phil Foden, despite everything, gave them the lead. After 88 minutes, Chris Wood joined Forest. Uproar.
But before the cheers stop, the whistle blows. VAR review. Alleged foul in the penalty area. The referee approaches the monitor. City Ground has noticed this story before, but then sees through the crowd and walks away.
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In the midst of the celebration, the enthusiasts pause for a moment. What made the referee change his mind? They’re looking for an answer, and they’re locating it.
Is it a bird? Is it an airplane? No, it’s Mark Clattenburg.
This superhero doesn’t have a cape, but Forest’s representative referee has the rules in front of him and does him justice. Gotham City is safe from the PGMOL. La Premier League table is back on point.
Rodri said he needed a break, but this is a player living the way of life of a college student. I lived in a dormitory. He holds a degree in Business Administration. He was driving a second-hand Opel Corsa. He’s about to sell you £2 access to Tuesday club nights at Pryzm.
“Spending time with young people like you,” he told Manchester City’s website when asked why he considers university to be the most productive time of his life. “Studying and fainting sometimes. It’s that smart. . . A smart time.
But in recent months, with the intensity of the crusade (he has played 3,498 minutes for City in all competitions this season), some of that purity has had to disappear.
“I want to rest,” he told reporters after City’s 3-3 draw with Real Madrid, with the dazed look of someone attending a 9 a. m. hangover conference.
A week is a short break, of course. But why take 3 months?Why see us again? You’re only in your twenties once. British Airways offers student discounts on flights. There is a global offer.
“Jarrod, maaaaate, how’s it going because?”
“Boss? Chief? Chief? Moyesy?
“Kalvin. . . How are the new excavations going? Renewed passport?
Declan Rice’s phone bill is at an all-time high.
The city hosts West Ham on the final day. When she starts, there’s not much Rice can do to take care of her own business. So the genuine work starts first. West Ham have nothing to play for; It’s time for that to change. All the bargaining cards are on the table.
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He sold his car to Lucas Paqueta. He is in a position to retire from the England national team in favour of Phillips. David Sullivan promised her his first child. West Ham win.
This season has been a bit of a failure for Brighton
In summer, the primary works are opened. Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona.
Athletic would likely have reported on Saturday that Brighton were confident De Zerbi would stay, but that comes amid talks over a new contract suspended and the manager has been publicly evasive about his future.
Showing what to say is the first rule of job interviews, and De Zerbi has the opportunity to show his tactical acumen by outwitting Guardiola.
Firstly, City faced Brighton’s pioneering use of a layered sweeper and a tension trend based on the Fibonacci sequence, but are baffled by the encouraging advent of Jason Steele as an inverted trequartist.
Gary O’Neil turns out to be an unlikely contender on MTV’s Welcome To My Crib, but we believe for a moment that he opens the doors to his mansion in Wolverhampton.
The doormat is a four-leaf clover. As you enter, seven lucky cats greet you. Rabbit feet hang from the rafters of the kitchen. Mirrors are forbidden, O’Neil tells you, as he brushes his teeth in the bathroom window mirror.
There is an overwhelming smell of incense.
No team has been more unlucky than the Wolves this season. O’Neil tried to reason, tried to rationalize. He tried to climb. All that’s left is faith. . . and Nathan Fraser.
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Foden hits the bar. Jeremy Doku trips over his shoelaces. A wild shot from Max Kilman deflects off Hwang Hee-chan’s buttocks. Molineux explodes.
The metaphorical hammer falls. White smoke rises from the roof of the Premier League headquarters. That day was thought to be months away, but a resolution was made.
City are facing 115 fines for breaching the Premier League’s monetary rules for another nine seasons. If they are found guilty of at least some of them, the deduction of the issues is a realistic outcome.
Of course, City will say it’s impossible, the most ridiculous suggestion on this list. After all, they vehemently deny the accusations and strive to prove their innocence.
GO FURTHER
The Briefing: Arsenal and Liverpool will have to show the name The race is not over, only two issues remain
(Top photos: Getty Images)