Guardiola plots City upturn, Spurs hosts Leicester

Pep Guardiola will be hoping to end Manchester City's run of six matches without a win while Spurs welcomes champion Leicester City to White Hart Lane.

Published : Oct 29, 2016 00:10 IST , London

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline.
lightbox-info

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline.

Pep Guardiola takes Manchester City to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League this weekend still trying to figure out how to lift the club out of its autumn downturn.

Scintillating over the season's early weeks, which saw it win its first 10 games, it has now gone six matches without victory, culminating in Wednesday's 1-0 League Cup defeat at Manchester United. While it remains top of the league table on goal difference, City's swashbuckling form has petered out and left-back Gael Clichy hopes its luck changes soon.

"We gave everything and at the moment we are not getting what we deserve," the France international told the City website. "Lately, the results and the points are not on board. We have to keep working and we're sure we're going to get there. If we are a bit more clinical playing forward and more compact as a team, maybe we can do better."

West Brom manager Tony Pulis, famed for his pragmatism is often portrayed in England as the antithesis to the stylish, idealistic Guardiola. Despite being 13th in the table, West Brom has a better defensive record than Manchester United and Liverpool, and has lost only once at home this season.

"Every game this season, we've been in," said Pulis. "There's not been a game we've not been in and that's testament to the players."

Buoyed by its derby victory over City, United will look to get its league campaign back on track at home to Burnley. Jose Mourinho's side was battered 4-0 by his former club Chelsea last weekend, but Luke Shaw believes the victory over City, courtesy of Juan Mata's second-half goal, could prove a turning point.

"It was very important," said the England left-back. "We saw Guardiola said it was like a final and to us that is what it felt like. To get the win was massive. (It was) a big confidence boost after obviously the disappointing result that we bounced back, got a win and now we need to go on a winning streak."

United goes into the weekend in seventh place, six points behind leader City, Arsenal and Liverpool. But it is better off than defending champion Leicester City, which sits three points below it in 12th place with just three wins from its opening nine games.

On Saturday Claudio Ranieri's side travels to Tottenham Hotspur, which threatened to pip it in last season's title race. Mauricio Pochettino's men are a point off top spot and Ranieri has braced his players for a battle.

"Spurs are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League because they have a very good squad. They can change and rotate," said the Italian. "Tottenham are a fantastic team. Last year they were very close to us and will continue to fight for the title."

A late slump saw Tottenham pipped to second place by its North London rival Arsenal, whose early-season form suggests it could be poised to go one better this term. A six-game winning run came to an end in last weekend's 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough, but Arsene Wenger's team beat Reading in the League Cup in mid-week and now faces a Sunderland side rooted to the base of the table.

"I think the spirit is really good in the team," said midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Reading. "Even when we drew with Middlesbrough on the weekend, it was almost like we lost the game. It shows how hungry this team are to win. We're in a spell where we feel like we should be winning every game and we can win every game, so that's a good thing."

Liverpool, third behind City and Arsenal on goal difference, visits Crystal Palace, while fourth-place Chelsea, dumped out of the League Cup by West Ham United on Wednesday, travels to Southampton.

Fixtures: Sunderland v Arsenal, Manchester United v Burnley, Tottenham v Leicester, West From v Manchester City, Middlesbrough v Bournemouth, Watford v Hull, Crystal Palace v Liverpool, Everton v West Ham, Southampton v Chelsea, Stoke v Swansea.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment