Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Chelsea means the Blues are back to seven points behind the West London side and revitalised midfielder Yaya Toure is in the mood for a scrap.
The Breaking Times write: “Despite coming to the last six months of his contract, Yaya says they have a chance to win the EPL crown.
“Toure has been linked with a move to China, but the 33-year-old made it clear that he wants to stay at the Etihad Stadium and try to help guide his side to Premier League glory.
‘No, I won’t do that. My focus is on City, the future is there because for now the league is not finished,’ he said.
‘Me and the guys are always focused. That’s the main point. I’m a footballer, I belong to the field. Chelsea are in a good way but we are going to fight until the end.
‘At the moment, we are not in our best form but we have to be able to deliver. City have always been a team who fight to the end to win a trophy and at the moment we are not happy with the position in the league. We have to fight.’
Elsewhere and City are again linked with Atleti defender Lucas Hernandez.
Reported yesterday in The Independent, the Daily Mail follow suit this morning writing: “Pep Guardiola has reportedly set his sights on signing Atletico Madrid‘s Hernandez in the summer as he looks to bolster his defensive options at Manchester City.
“Going forward and scoring goals hasn’t been an issue for the Spaniard this season. City have created 257 chances in the Premier League and scored 41 goals but find themselves playing catch up to leaders Chelsea as a result of their leaky defence.
“With club captain Vincent Kompany once again experiencing injury problems, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi not convincing as a partnership coupled with Aleksandar Kolarov playing out of position at times, it had led to the Citizens keeping just three clean sheets in the league this season.
“Therefore it is no surprise that Guardiola is keen to rebuild his defence and according to the Daily Mail has earmarked Lucas Hernandez as a target because he fits the profile of being quick, intelligent and versatile. The newspaper adds that the Frenchman is available at £33 million – which is his release clause.”
Meanwhile jubilant Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino says reports he ‘advised’ Pep how to be in England are incorrect.
ESPN write: “Speaking at his post-match press conference following Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Chelsea, Pochettino interrupted a question about two-time scorer Dele Alli to insist he was misquoted.
‘I gave an interview the other day to a Spanish agency, and it’s good to clarify [something]. I was talking in general [about] how the people outside England see the Premier League.
‘I don’t know why or who twisted my comment that I sent a message to Guardiola that he needs to be humble. I never said that. I said the people outside, sometimes, don’t give the right importance to how tough the Premier League is.
‘I want to clarify that because I admire Guardiola a lot because he is one of the best managers.’
The imminent addition of Gabriel Jesus to City’s starting line-up continues to take up plenty of column inches.
The Mirror report Gael Clichy as one of the latest to welcome the Brazilian’s arrival.
Clichy is quoted: ‘I know he is really good. I’ve spoken to the Brazilian players – and a player from Brazil being bought by City is sure to have quality.
‘He will need time to adjust but I hope he can be that good and make an impact as soon as possible. We will help him to get to his full potential as soon as possible, because in football people want results.
“’It’s an exciting moment for him, for us and for the fans and we hope he can score many goals.’
Finally, The Evening Standard preview tomorrow night’s FA Cup tie against West Ham with a team news round-up that reads: “Bilic will be buoyed by the FA’s decision to reverse Feghouli’s red card against United, meaning he will be eligible to play against City.
“However, the West Ham manager still has several players out injured, which includes Diafra Sakho, Arthur Masuaku, Gokhan Tore, James Collins and Alvaro Arbeloa. Reece Oxford could return from an ankle injury, though.
“Guardiola, meanwhile, has four players missing through injury in Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Vincent Kompany and Fabian Delph.
“The Spanish coach will also have to do without Fernandinho after his claim for wrongful dismissal was rejected by the FA. It means the midfielder will not be available for the trip to the London Stadium as he sits out City’s next four matches.”
More of the same tomorrow and stay with mancity.com throughout the day for all the breaking news on the Blues.
