An increasing facet of Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger press conferences these days is a propensity to talk about Manchester City. Manuel Pellegrini is nonplussed by it…
Both Mourinho and Wenger whose Chelsea and Arsenal sides endured frustration before ultimate relief in their New Year’s Day fixtures were both moved to discuss City’s thundering up the league table during the festive season in contrasting statements.
First up, Mourinho’s increasingly bizarre ramblings…
‘You think I am playing mind games? You think I am capable of that? See the City squad, see the players, the number of goals, the strikers. Dzeko is the third striker of Man City. Dzeko! Jovetic the fourth. Do you think I’m putting on? Pressure? (Sigh) I don’t think Man City should feel pressure. I think they know how good they are and I think they know they are the favourites. I don’t think they feel any pressure.’
Wenger meanwhile continues to seethe where City are concerned and has not stopped seething since His Highness Skeikh Mansour came to town…
‘Do you believe him? (Mourinho) Man City are favourites not more than Chelsea, for me, nor Man United. They have the squad, yes. They have a squad of names who can pretend to win it. But at the end of the day, it is down to what we do on the pitch. Are Man City, at the moment, completely unbeatable? Not for me. They have lost a number of games away from home…So it is open.’
And this is how the cool for cats City boss reacted when quizzed by hacks over the latest title rival commentaires…
‘I think it’s impossible to be in a good team if you don’t want pressure, you must be used to playing with pressure. I think all the other teams have the same pressure – Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham, Everton. If they want to say that the pressure is on Manchester City it’s no problem for us.’
One thing for sure is this won’t be the last time the London managers discuss The Citizens with an anti-City obsessed Street of Shame. Maybe the latest nosediving events of New Years Day in Stretford might yet turn media attention away from City this month. The Moyesiah continues to get off lightly as Taggart’s legion of friends remain just about on message…right now a panic stricken swamp is where the pressure most certainly is.
– Street of Shame courtesy Private Eye.
UPCOMING DATES FOR YOUR FILOFAX:
all times East Manchester GMT
Sa 04Jan 12h45 Blackburn, Ewood Park, FAC3
We 08Jan 19h45 West Ham United, The Etihad, LCSF1
Su 12Jan 14h05 Newcastle United, St James Park, PL
Sa 18Jan 15h00 Cardiff City, The Etihad, PL
Tu 21Jan 19h45 West Ham United, Upton Park, LCSF2
We 29Jan 19h45, Tottenham Hotspur, White Hart Lane, PL
Mo 03Feb 2014 20h00 Chelsea, The Etihad, PL
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