Freddie Pye
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesManuel Akanji is right; Manchester City will win the Premier League again!
That is a bold assessment to make after just five matches, but having now played our strongest challengers from the past two seasons, it is a conclusion we can make on a few grounds, but none more so than the ability to remain calm.
The weekend’s 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium was a battle between the two teams best equipped for a variety of scenarios throughout this season – but the intensity of the occasion only managed to disrupt one of them.
It is Pep Guardiola and Manchester City’s calmness when faced by adversity that we believe will make the difference when it comes to crunch moments in the ongoing campaign, and particularly that final run-in during the second-half of the season.
Sunday’s first half in particular indicated exactly how the emotion of big moments really can get to Arsenal as a collective, with those feelings seemingly stemming from Mikel Arteta and channelled into his players. Leandro Trossard’s second yellow card, issued correctly by Michael Oliver for kicking the ball away, was a reaction to frustration, and a clear failure to remain calm – ultimately costing his team.
The second half would showcase the exact opposite, and Manchester City’s own ability to remain calm right through until the very end, sticking to their own masterplan, and repaying the composure exuded by Guardiola.
That mentality – a word thrown about often in the build-up to the fixture – overcame the contrasting feeling within the Arsenal camp, with built-up anger and stress growing into the game as the minutes ticked by.
And it ultimately saw City reap everything they deserved in the second-half.
Big moments, as well as scenarios and decisions going against either team, will require an elite, winning mentality, and the ability to remain calm and composed until the very end of this campaign. Only one of these two teams has that, and it will be Manchester City who receive the ultimate prize as a result.
In the words of Akanji: “It’s still early [but] I think we’re going to win the league again.”
Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external
