Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane expects Manchester City to be competing for the title again next season.
Pep Guardiola‘s side have slipped way off the pace this campaign, leaving Liverpool as runaway leaders. However, when discussing Arsenal’s title credentials, Keane said that Cityzens will make things hard for the Gunners as they should have their house back in order by August:
“City will be strong next year, and I’m sure Liverpool will be too. Where is the evidence to think they [Arsenal] can do it? Getting a striker in would help. Have they got the right mentality? Has the manager?”
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“You see a different side to them when they’re losing every week, they get all agitated when they’re losing. What’s the evidence for this group of players that they can do it? It’s alright challenging, but it should be about winning titles.”
City will be focusing on Champions League qualification
Guardiola and his players won’t be thinking about next season at the moment. The defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend means they have dropped down to fifth in the table.
A top 5 finish may still be enough to qualify for the Champions League, but there are just three points separating them and Newcastle who sit 9th.
It is, therefore, going to be a massive fight to stay in contention. Guardiola has described the final ten league games as “finals”.
Favourable fixtures could help Guardiola and his team
The relatively kind schedule is one of the reasons fans should be confident of City finishing in the Champions League places.
Six of their ten league games will be at the Etihad and their away fixtures versus Manchester United, Everton, Southampton and Fulham can be classed as “winnable”.
Inconsistency has been the team’s main problem, though so, if they are to finish the campaign strongly, they will have to improve on the performances they have produced recently.
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