Manchester Metropolis’s conflict with Newcastle United on the Etihad Stadium tomorrow may very well be a defining second of their season.
After a demoralising 3-2 defeat in opposition to Actual Madrid within the Champions League, Pep Guardiola’s aspect should rapidly refocus on the Premier League, the place their top-four hopes are hanging within the stability.
Metropolis have now misplaced 5 video games from successful positions this season – matching their complete from the earlier 4 campaigns mixed.
Their collapse in opposition to Madrid was the most recent instance of a worrying pattern that has seen them lose management of matches in essential moments. Guardiola his crew has been struggling.
“We have now at all times been so snug with the ball, and now we’re not so,” he mentioned. “You then should depend on a bodily presence, and our physicality shouldn’t be like different groups.”
That vulnerability was brutally uncovered of their final league recreation – a 5-1 thrashing by Arsenal. The defeat left Metropolis in fifth place, 18 factors behind Liverpool and two factors adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
Their file in opposition to Newcastle suggests a response is probably going. They’ve crushed the Magpies in 15 consecutive dwelling league matches and have misplaced simply as soon as of their final 34 Premier League conferences.
Nonetheless, Newcastle have gained their final 4 league video games on the street, together with at Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.
Guardiola is underneath no illusions in regards to the menace they pose. “They at all times have been [a difficult side] since Eddie Howe took over,” he added. “They’ve good kind and unbelievable tempo. It’s a credit score to them.”
Metropolis’s defensive points are deepening. Manuel Akanji has been dominated out for as much as ten weeks after struggling an abductor harm, additional limiting Guardiola’s choices on the again.
Jack Grealish can also be a doubt after limping off in opposition to Actual Madrid.
Metropolis’s issues are mounting, and Newcastle’s confidence is hovering. In the event that they fail to impose themselves, one other setback might depart them in deep trouble.