Kicking-off with a word from ‘the King’ – Kevin De Bruyne has told press City are ‘desperate’ to win the league title against rivals Manchester United.
The Blues are one win away from glory and would clinch the crown with a victory over Jose Mourinho’s men at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. De Bruyne asserts it would be an ‘historic’ achievement.
His comments feature in the Independent, reading: “I think for the fans it would be wonderful.
“Obviously if we don’t make it, we don’t make it, we will have a lot of chances left still. But to make it against United would be special, it would be so nice to go on and win against United.
“For the fans it would something special, something different – you know how it goes between them, you know the history, so it would be historic.”
It certainly would… before that however, there are other matters at hand with Wednesday night’s mouth-watering Champions League trip to Liverpool – and Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has been sharing his thoughts on the clash, comparing the two sides.
Quoted in the Manchester Evening News, he declared: “At specific moments, we are on a similar level but they have been much more consistent and that’s why they are higher in the league. But we all know that in the game it doesn’t mean too much.
“We see our chance but we know it will be unbelievably difficult.
“If I would have had the choice to watch a Champions League game, I would watch this one. It is about tactics but there will be fire in the game, and it’s at Anfield so the atmosphere will be good.”
Speaking to UEFA, Klopp also reserved praise for his City counterpart Pep Guardiola.
“His teams are always excellently positioned. He always has great teams which make excellent decisions,” he stated.
“At Barcelona, it was Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Lionel Messi and so on – just to mention the creative players from his time there.
“At Bayern Munich, he had fantastic players who made a lot of great decisions. Now, with Gundogan, Silva, Aguero, Sane on the left wing, Sterling on the wing; Gabriel Jesus, they’re extraordinary.
“Positioning is important but this is not witchcraft – it is not unusual just because the wing-backs come inside, but when the players are in position they move every millisecond in order to be available, and when they are, that’s when the individual quality of the player becomes important, and they control the ball correctly.
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“So, they’re already well positioned on the pitch, they know what’s going on around them, they are very well orientated and they can pass the ball into the next area. That’s what makes them extraordinary. And whenever they can’t pass, they use their pace in order to progress further up.
“And then the space on the wing is free. When you have one good player in the middle – or three or four good players – you need to know how to defend well. Then, boom, you move the ball to the wings and an incredibly fast player runs towards the goalline and crosses the ball into the penalty area. That’s a real challenge, for sure.
“It’s actually a mix of Pep’s skills regarding these aspects and of course, the extraordinary skills of his players.”
Elsewhere, Jamie Redknapp believes Guardiola’s approach has provided England with ‘a perfect 10’.
Writing for the Daily Mail, he purred: “In Raheem Sterling, England may finally have the closest thing to a master manipulator on the ball.
“Sterling starts wide on the right for Manchester City but in England’s friendlies last week he was the perfect 10.
“He oozed class as he strolled around the Wembley turf against Italy, linking the play; putting people through, driving England forwards. International football is often tense and cagey but Sterling allowed England to breathe in possession.
“Had Pep Guardiola not come into his life, I do not believe any of this would have happened.
“Last season, Sterling was simply a good player. He was in and out of the team and did not know his best position. The City manager has worked his magic on Sterling, transforming him into one of the most serious footballers around.”
In other news, Sports Lens believe City are considering making a move for Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio.
According to Crippy Cooke: “Manchester City and Chelsea are keen on the £75k-per-week ‘Mallorcan’ and could meet his £65.4m valuation to land his signature.
“Asensio has made just 14 La Liga starts this season, being substituted on in 10 of his 24 appearances. In all competitions, Asensio has been named on the bench in 45% of his games.”
