They say the comeback is greater than the set-back and Pep Guardiola will be praying that’s true for Manchester City in the next month. After registering their first win in six games against Leicester City last week, the Sky Blues have a real chance to kick on from here as they welcome a troubled West Ham to the Etihad before playing Salford City in the FA Cup and then Brentford and Ipswich Town in the league.
They better not slip up in that run because another storm is just around the corner. The end of January sees City play Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest. Not to mention, they are also bracing for the verdict in their 115 charges case against the Premier League at the same time.
So, while that 2-0 win over Leicester offered a glimmer of hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel for City, we’ll have to see if that victory was a red herring. After all, Guardiola’s team rode their luck at times at the King Power after the Foxes hit the post, had a clear penalty denied and a shot cleared off the line. City have work to do, and Guardiola knows it.
“I would say we needed it, all of us,” Guardiola said after the game. “It’s not the ideal performance, but in these moments, it’s almost impossible. We don’t have enough energy to sustain our game for 90 minutes. It’s not enjoyable, it’s just relief right now. That is the real word to express the feeling that we have in all of us. We have done incredible things for many years, and now we’re not able to win games. It’s just a fact of relief, but we have to improve.”
Recovering from a period of turbulence like City’s is far from simple. In fact, it’s possible the damage has already been done for the rest of the season. Erling Haaland scored his first goal in five games, and he is one of many players who look fragile. Before the Leicester win, they won once in 13 games. They have lost their fear factor. Once seen as an all-conquering force, most teams are confident of getting points off them.
Luckily for City, though, that team is not West Ham. Julen Lopetegui has been under pressure all season long and his appointment looks more bizarre every week. They were hammered 5-0 by league-leaders Liverpool, and, in truth, it could have been double figures. Liverpool were 4-0 up after the break and the Hammers didn’t lay a glove on them. While they threatened to turn a corner recently with two wins and two draws in their last five, they still look vulnerable and Lopetegui is one of the favourites to be sacked next.
Guardiola is hoping to get some troops back on the frontlines for his assault on the Premier League table. Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias and Ederson are not yet ready to return from injury. John Stones, meanwhile, appears to be further away in his progress.
West Ham were given a further blow on top of their thrashing by Liverpool as captain Jarrod Bowen fractured his foot, while Lukasz Fabianski is set to miss out again after a worrying head injury against Southampton on Boxing Day. Lopetegui will have Tomas Soucek and Guido Rodriguez available again after completing suspensions.
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Manchester City vs West Ham odds
Venue: Etihad Stadium — Manchester
Time: 3 p.m. GMT (10 a.m. ET), Saturday
Form guide (league only)
Manchester City: 9-4-6, 31 points (6th); W-D-L-L-D
West Ham: 6-5-8, 23 points (13th); L-W-D-D-W
Match prediction
Manchester City 3-1 West Ham
City should have enough to pick up a second straight win against the Hammers, but the team cannot afford to think their crisis is over if that happens. This is not the same City that cantered to the last four Premier League titles in a row, nor the one that won the treble and conquered Europe in 2022. This is a new era for City and Guardiola, and there are greater challenges ahead. Yes, they are four points off fourth — but they are also four points off tenth. The next month will either make or break them.
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(Photo of Bernardo Silva: Michael Regan / Getty Images)
