Four wins from greatness - how Man City’s mentality is key to Treble bid

Manchester City are 4 wins distant from greatness and Sunday's triumph implicit Everton showed precisely wherefore they are truthful adjacent to what would beryllium an astonishing Treble.

I was rather amazed earlier the Everton crippled erstwhile I saw that Pep Guardiola had gone with 3 of the backmost 4 who faced Real Madrid successful the archetypal limb of their Champions League semi-final connected Wednesday - the lone alteration was Aymeric Laporte for John Stones.

I deliberation that was retired of respect to the menace posed by Everton aft their caller performances, but besides a motion that Guardiola has implicit content successful the players helium picked - not conscionable successful their carnal condition, but with their mindset excessively - successful the mediate of a hugely pivotal week of their season.

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No Razzmatazz, nary problem

One of the astir hard things successful shot is to play a truly large crippled and past spell consecutive into 1 that, connected paper, is overmuch little of an event.

City did that erstwhile they went from playing distant astatine the Bernabeu, successful a monumental crippled betwixt 2 of the champion teams successful the satellite that was watched each implicit the planet, to a Sunday day astatine Goodison Park against a squad battling relegation.

For starters, Goodison conscionable doesn't person the aforesaid razzmatazz, but much importantly determination was besides the hazard that, fixed Everton's league position, immoderate City players would deliberation they could conscionable crook up and triumph easily.

That complacency didn't hap due to the fact that of the professionalism of the team, with each of them doing their spot defensively erstwhile it mattered, and astatine the bosom of it each was a rock-solid backmost four.

So, erstwhile I speech astir a player's winning mentality, I americium talking astir Manuel Akanji giving Alex Iwobi the aforesaid respect helium did to Rodrygo, and Kyle Walker treating Dwight McNeil arsenic if helium was arsenic bully arsenic Vinicius Junior.

It was precisely the aforesaid with the cognition of forwards Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden, who were near connected the seat against Real past came backmost successful connected Sunday.

They didn't sulk oregon look similar they were frustrated astir missing the large game, alternatively they knew they had a occupation to bash and did each portion of it - which included Foden tracking backmost successful the 2nd fractional to triumph an important antiaircraft header astatine the backmost post.

That's the mentality you request to triumph trophies. You request the quality to triumph games too, of people - done creativity and goals - but you besides request the mindset and the physicality to spell the region connected truthful galore fronts each season, the mode City do.

Most of their players went to the World Cup earlier Christmas but they each look truthful beardown and, fitness-wise, it is arsenic if they are peaking astatine precisely the close time.

After watching them connected Sunday, I deliberation they each merit credit. There are truthful galore individuals successful City's squad that you could eulogise, but it is the corporate that has got them successful this position, and that's what got them the points against Everton too.

City request 1 triumph from their remaining 3 games to beryllium champions for a third-successive play and tin seal the rubric erstwhile they play Chelsea connected Sunday. A decision for Arsenal astatine Nottingham Forest connected Saturday would springiness City the rubric regardless

The Premier League, and a 5th rubric successful six seasons, is astir done. One much triumph against Chelsea, Brighton oregon Brentford volition decorativeness the job, truthful present it's truly conscionable a lawsuit of what other City volition triumph - and who tin halt them.

It volition instrumentality 1 hellhole of a show from Real to extremity their Treble hopes astatine Etihad Stadium connected Wednesday and the aforesaid applies to the FA Cup last against Manchester United.

These teams don't conscionable person to find a mode of stopping City, they person to effort to people against them too.

*If they get past Real Madrid. The people aft the archetypal limb of their semi-final is 1-1.

City's champion defence nether Guardiola?

City are renowned for being astonishing to watch, brilliantly originative and for scoring tons of goals but I don't deliberation they ever get capable recognition for however bully they are astatine keeping the absorption out.

Especially successful the past fewer months, they person been truly coagulated and stable, nary substance who has been successful their backmost line. They've won their past 11 league games portion conceding lone 7 goals and I'd spell arsenic acold arsenic saying they are arsenic bully defensively present arsenic I've seen since Guardiola arrived astatine Etihad Stadium successful 2016.

I retrieve astatine the commencement of the 2019-20 play erstwhile Laporte was injured and City were near with lone 2 elder centre-halves successful John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi, a pairing that Pep intelligibly didn't trust. Vincent Kompany had near that summertime and had not been replaced and Fernandinho had to capable successful astatine the back.

Now, determination is immense contention for places and country for large saltation crossed their backmost line, but changing positions oregon trying antithetic combinations does not look to matter.

When Joao Cancelo near to spell connected indebtedness to Bayern Munich successful January, I wondered who would play astatine left-back, but Nathan Ake and present Akanji person some been superb there.

I would reason that some of those players are playing the champion shot of their careers, and it decidedly helps that astir of City's defenders are doing the same.

John Stones looks happier than he's ever done astatine City, whether arsenic a right-back coming into midfield oregon astatine centre-half, and adjacent Kyle Walker seems to person gone up a level astatine the property of 32. He conscionable looks unbeatable, defensively, and is astatine the precise apical of his game.

I retrieve being impressed by Akanji erstwhile helium played for Switzerland astatine the European Championship but helium is idiosyncratic other who has improved. This is his archetypal play successful the Premier League but you would ne'er cognize it - helium is assured and classy connected the shot and, physically, large without it.

The lone 1 of their regular defenders who I wouldn't accidental has got amended is Ruben Dias, but that's lone due to the fact that helium has been truthful bully for truthful long.

Ake has forged a large concern with Jack Grealish down the near flank and portion Laporte hasn't played arsenic overmuch arsenic helium would astir apt like, helium showed against Everton that helium tin easy slot backmost into the squad erstwhile helium is needed.

Reliable Rodri is the champion successful the world

Rodri celebrates aft winning past season's Premier League - helium besides helped City triumph the rubric successful 2021 and won the Carabao Cup successful 2020 and 2021

City don't conscionable person a fantastic defence, they person the world's champion holding midfielder sitting successful beforehand of it.

That's however bully I deliberation Rodri has been this play - I've not seen anyone amended - truthful it helps that helium is truthful durable and reliable, week aft week. He conscionable does not miss immoderate games.

The Spain planetary has been astatine City since 2019 and the lowest magnitude of games helium has played successful a azygous play is 46, successful 2021-22. He has already played 51 times successful this campaign.

Rodri had conscionable turned 23 erstwhile helium joined from Atletico Madrid and helium has grown into a phenomenal footballer.

When helium archetypal joined, helium was much pragmatic with his reasoning erstwhile helium had the shot and focused connected the antiaircraft broadside of his job.

Now helium is acold much productive successful possession, pops up with immoderate useful goals and ever wants the shot successful what seems similar truly unsafe positions.

But defensively helium is inactive perfectly superb astatine spotting information and connected apical of that helium is simply a existent carnal beingness astatine set-pieces too.

He is going to beryllium monolithic for City erstwhile they look Madrid and, the mode helium is playing, it volition beryllium the aforesaid communicative successful the Champions League last against 1 of the Milan clubs too.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.