Is Man City’s Winning Streak Going To Last All The Way To The Semi-Finals?
Man City’s recent win against Chelsea puts the premiere league leaders much closer to playing Real Madrid for the championship semi-finals which fans greatly anticipate, much thanks to Kevin De Bruyne.
The Daily Mail initially reported last week on Man City‘s win against Paris Saint Germain (PSG) as an apparent “storm” into the semi-finals.
The article practically goes through a play-by-play, under the allusion that the Manchester team was vulnerable and beatable, but praises Kevin De Bruyne for the win.
Man City’s website documented the reaction to their game against PSG on Twitter.
Great feeling and very proud of this team.
UCL semi final here we go.
Well done boys.#CMONCITY pic.twitter.com/mAA1sfiPuo— Fernandinho (@fernandinho) April 12, 2016
At the same time, it acknowledges De Bruyne’s price tag in order to lure him away from Chelsea, for whom he used to play, and whether he was initially worth it.
Now with the latest score against Chelsea being zero to three, Quadrangle Online is only one of many who’s reporting on the positive response the player has been getting.
“‘He is a very good player and a very good person’, said City team-mate Fernandinho. He saved another one from Samir Nasri on 27 minutes, played in by Aguero, but it felt like a matter of time before De Bruyne picked the lock and so it turned out. Interim boss Guus Hiddink looked frustrated on the sidelines, every now and then warmly applauding his players to try and kick them into life.”
As many media sources have already reported, such as BBC, they will now be playing against Real Madrid.
The irony of the match-up is that Man City will face incoming manager Pep Guardiola, who will be replacing their current manager Manuel Pellegrini.
The AFP via Yahoo Sports also took note of Man City manager Pellegrini’s position, where his removal was initially being considered over the fact that they weren’t winning enough championships to make the team a force to be reckoned with, referring to him as a “tactical ingenu”.
When Manuel Pellegrini was asked if Man City could win the tournament, First Post reported his optimism.
“We receive a lot of criticism for different reasons, but every year we are improving. I am sure the target of this club is to win the Champions League, but winning it will not mean the project is finished. They want to continue improving every season.”
The news, however, remains that the team’s manager will still be handing the team over to Pep Guardiola at the end of the season, and the article points out how he might end up facing them as rivals, as he takes the reigns for another team.
The Village Sun Times also points out how Nasri wants to be a part of Pep’s Man City when he takes over.
Squawka reviewed the collection of wins Man City has had so far going to the semi-finals, suggesting that the fact that PSG was short a few of their top players was what likely got them the win, even when Man City themselves were short on some of their top players.
We will face Man City in the semi-finals. We are Real Madrid; we respect everyone but fear no one. Let's go Real! pic.twitter.com/a0y38ShbYj
— Lucas Vázquez (@Lucasvazquez91) April 15, 2016
And then it points out that it happened again with Chelsea, where they too were short of their best players, but points out that Man City had been on a losing streak since August right after they were on a winning streak.
Which according to Squawka could only mean that 4-4-1-1 formation is better than their previously strict 4-2-3-1, which only congested the field.
Of the top-five clubs in the premiere league, Manchester currently sits at number three.
Man City will take on Real Madrid starting on April 26 as the first leg.
[Image by Alfonso Jimenez via Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0]
