Well lovely Arsenal people, City recorded another 4:0 away win. I expected it, although on paper Fulham, just like Brighton away, should’ve been tough days. There’s one problem though, those teams play for nothing. They aren’t getting Europe, they aren’t getting relegated, the season is done for them. Flying kites at training, Iwobi partying in Paris, it’s not serious.
Here’s what really grinds my gears. How come City’s run in was filled with a bunch of teams with nothing to play for. Forest was the one team that actually gave them a game, because they were fighting relegation, but the way Chris Wood missed the open goal, you’d think he’s a City fan.
We had to face Chelsea, Tottenham and now Man Utd. They may be in terrible form, but those are emotional games. Liverpool’s season practically ended at OT, both in the FA cup and in the league and United were dreadful.
They are arguably even worse now, but I’ve seen terrible United sides pick wins against us. We practically started Marcus Rashford’s career with those 2 cheap goals we gifted him. Logic dictates we should absolutely smash them, and honestly our goal difference needs it because City will wipe the floor with West Ham.
Unfortunately football doesn’t always follow logic, and sadly there’s also history which is absolutely atrocious for us at OT. We’ve won there twice since 2006 in the league. Man Utd will raise their level for this game. There’s too much history and hatred between the two clubs. The title is in City’s hands regardless if they lose, so that record of 4 in a row is coming either way.
Also that 4:0 spanking from Palace will hurt and a reaction is coming. Don’t be surprised if Bruno and Rashford miraculously recover for this game, as well as a CB. There is an FA cup final coming, where City awaits and unless United build some confidence, I’d be fearful for the embarrassment the scoreline could reach.
This game could finish 1:1 or 5:0, both results really wouldn’t surprise me, but I hope the team can find the right motivation to win and push it till the last day. Those City wins are real gut punches. I tried to tell people that not beating Villa would cost us the title. We had to be perfect, because City always do it when the business end comes. Especially when, as I mentioned earlier, their opponents have nothing to play for.
If Villa don’t beat Liverpool on Monday, Spurs will have a chance to fight for a top 4 spot. It’s theoretical, it requires a victory against City and Palace beating Villa on the final day, but it would be possible. It’s just funny how that City v Tottenham game was rearranged to be before the final day of the league, when Spurs might not be playing for anything, when they were given a 15 day break earlier.
I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but apart from the very-generous-for-City fixture list, I don’t remember one bad decision going against them this season. I do remember Kovacic escaping a clear red twice against us, a clear Liverpool pen not given and so on and so on.
I mean the league was absolutely brutal to Everton and Forest, who are scraping for their lives, but City – who’ve been bending the rules for years and escaping with all sorts of lawyers and tricks in the books, nothing. 115 charges and nothing, absolutely pathetic, but it is what it is.
My last words are ‘don’t pray on Tottenham’. I know City have never scored in the league in their new stadium, well they will now. Spurs, even if they don’t lie down and lose, just so we don’t win it, are so bad at defending it’s just damning. They barely beat Burnley, and their attack hasn’t been much better than their defense and our hope is that they basically outscore them.
They did get a 3:3 draw at the Etihad this year, but the circumstances were different. City in a title race will eat this game up. I just hope we beat United. When we were poor, they always spanked us, so hopefully we can do it this time around.
Konstantin
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