24 Season Preview 2019-20 FourFourTwoMAnCHESTER CITY
Nowherelately,noteveninDonaldTrump’swildest
dreams, has there been so much winning. But after
the 100-point campaign of 2017-18 was followed
by a domestic clean sweep, this might be the year
when less is more.
Some might say City don’t really need to pick their
battles, coming three wins short of a quintuple despite
spending months without the injured Kevin De Bruyne.
Many, though, would urge Pep Guardiola to prioritise
the Blues’ only remaining unscratched itch.
City would be far more likely to win the Champions
League if they played fewer competitive games: 60 inIS IT TIME TO FOCUS On
THE CHAMPIOnS LEAGUE?
PREMIER LEAGUE
2019-20
2018-19, seven more than Liverpool. There’s a strong
case for giving the domestic cups to a Phil Foden-led
side of youth and fringe players.
At the sharp end of the Champions League, Pep can’t
just trade blows and hope to pummel his opponents
to defeat. Across his three seasons, City have won just
two of the five knockout rounds; in the three they lost,
they conceded 15 goals.
Calm must be paramount, from a manager criticised
for overthinking his team selections, but also some of
the players. In the fateful quarter-final second leg at
home to Tottenham, two of the season’s most reliable
performers, Ederson and Aymeric Laporte, joined the
ranks of City players to have wobbled in Europe.The record against the competition’s elite remains
alarming: three wins in 18 games against Barcelona,
Bayern Munich, Juventus, Liverpool and Real Madrid,
with a combined 52 final appearances between them.
Yet City deserve belief. Only one team last term took
more shots per Champions League game, and only
one conceded fewer efforts on goal. Tight decisions
swung the knockouts by Spurs and, the previous year,
Liverpool. The form during the domestic run-in shows
City can stifle teams and close out games.
Guardiola might go all-in because the time is now:
David Silva departs at the end of this season, Sergio
Aguero is 31 and City face a possible European ban in
2020-21. Joining Huddersfield, Arsenal, Liverpool and
United as the only clubs to win three successive league
titles might be the tougher and thus most rewarding
task. But what a send-off it would be for Silva to win
the only trophy missing from his CV.
And how much more satisfying than always booing
the Champions League anthem would it be for City
supporters to see UEFA officials grim-faced as the little
magician lifted their big cup into the Istanbul night?LAST SEASON
PREMIER LEAGUE 1st
FA CUP Winners
LEAGUE CUP Winners
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Quarter-Finals
TOP SCORER
Sergio Aguero (32)