It's almost as if winning a domestic cup and storming towards the league title isn't enough to justify not being fussed by two losses within a week.
Whilst the talk of a Barcelona-PSG, Istanbul-lite comeback has made for some lovely newspaper columns in the past week, chances are that Manchester City will crash out of the Champions League to Liverpool on Tuesday evening.
Thus, confirming them as just one of the eight best teams in Europe.
After that, they may have to wait a staggering two games to be confirmed as the best team in England, with barely any time (weeks of action) to spare.
Therefore, it's natural to say that a season of the highest peaks is currently enduring some earth shattering lows.
Except it's not.
Crocodile tears for the shark team
As camera's panned to visibly weeping City fans during their shock 3-2 defeat to neighbours Manchester United on Saturday, one would have been forgiven for thinking they were witnessing a team on the brink of relegation, not a title.
Whilst the way the game went, especially given it followed last week's humbling defeat at Anfield, was a source of agony for any City fan, any notion that it's taken away from a record breaking season is ridiculous.
Pep Guardiola has admittedly spent his way to the top of English football in his second season in Manchester, but he's spent money smartly on an elite group of players that he's coaching at an elite level in order to get the best out of them.
For an example of where million after million doesn't always breed the dominant force that City have become, you just have to look at the side that managed to get one over them on Saturday, perhaps the highlight of United's season eason.
City meanwhile, will go again and march forward.
Nothing impossible for Pep's All-Star's
The fact that there's still talk in some circles that Liverpool's 3-0 win hasn't booked Jurgen Klopp's men a one way ticket to the semi-finals is testament to the sheer quality of City's attack under Guardiola.
That attack has already totted up 90 Premier League goals, needing just 14 in their final six games to break a record set by Chelsea.
12 points, four wins from six, would hand the Citizens the achievement of having racked up the highest points total in Premier League history, lending evidence to the growingly popular argument that we're witnessing the best side to have played on these shores since mobile phone's became smaller than your average sized football.
Some have suggested that should City, as expected, be knocked out on Tuesday, the European failure coupled with not being able to win the league against United would see their season peter out somewhat.
Whilst that may be true in terms of an entertainment standpoint, it shouldn't take away from an objective look at City's successes this season.
Many said that Guardiola wouldn't be able to fully adapt to English football, suggesting that a tweak of his methods may be appropriate in order to oust the likes of United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the bid for a league title.
He and his shark team have blown that completely out of the water.
The Champions League situation is a setback, the United result a disappointment, but to suggest that what this City side are doing is anything other than astonishing is pure nonsense.
No Champions League title this year, merely compensated for by an all but secured record league points total.
Imagine the uproar if they ever lost three in a row...
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário