Chapter 598: Manchester City's 18th Straight Win—Opponents Are Terrified
It was Christmas once again, but for Premier League players, the holiday didn't mean much.
The Premier League's schedule between Christmas and New Year's is notoriously packed. From December 23rd to January 1st, there are four matches within eight days—essentially a game every two days.
Such a packed schedule is definitely not ideal for players who, after half a season, are in desperate need of rest.
The tight fixture list not only leads to physical exhaustion but also increases the risk of injuries.
Many teams find themselves with multiple injured players during this period, as the physical intensity of the Premier League is already high, and referees tend to be more lenient, which further increases the likelihood of injuries compared to other leagues.
Last season, Manchester City suffered greatly because of this. Their squad was rarely ever fully fit.
Moreover, some teams try to exploit this period to close the gap between themselves and the top teams.
For teams at the top of the table, this is a period when they can't afford to slip up.
A prime example is Arsenal, who, for many seasons, performed well in the first half but then struggled during the Christmas fixture rush. By the end of the season, they would be out of the Champions League due to exhaustion, but with a late recovery to secure fourth place, often saving their Champions League spot by the skin of their teeth.
Arsenal went through this routine for nearly a decade—until last season when they ended up in fifth place.
To deal with this situation, the best approach is to plan ahead and rotate the squad to minimize the fatigue of key players. This way, they can maintain their fitness and form through the intense match schedule.
Guardiola had been preparing for this from the start of the season, constantly rotating key players in attack, midfield, and defense.
Even Lin Quan, the team's absolute star, had been rotated for several matches.
Thanks to City's powerful attacking firepower, many games were already decided by halftime, allowing Guardiola to substitute key players early in the second half, further reducing their workload and avoiding injuries.
As a result, City was in excellent shape during this Christmas period, with almost no major injuries.
If any player felt discomfort during training or matches, Guardiola would substitute them immediately to prevent injuries from worsening.
Even if the team doctors later confirmed nothing serious, Guardiola would still give those players two or three days off to rest and recover.
After the 19th round of the league, Guardiola gave the team a day off.
Although they had an upcoming away game against Newcastle United, on Christmas Day, players were keen to spend time with their families.
Given the team's current form, Guardiola wasn't one to fuss over such things.
However, this did affect their pre-match preparations.
For the game against Newcastle, Guardiola not only rotated many players but also adjusted the team's formation, switching from the usual 3-1-4-2 to a more traditional 4-3-3.
City's lineup saw rotations across all three lines. In attack, Gabriel Jesus replaced Agüero, Mbappé continued to start, and Sané replaced David Silva.
In midfield, Bernardo Silva, Gündoğan, and Fernandinho replaced Lin Quan, De Bruyne, and Kanté.
In defense, Walker kept his starting spot, with veteran captain Kompany partnering with Rüdiger, while last year's signing from Real Madrid, Danilo, played as the left-back.
Danilo hadn't featured much since joining City, so this rare start was a chance he cherished. He worked extra hard on both offense and defense, buzzing up and down the left flank.
His performance was so impressive that Guardiola was pleasantly surprised.
When City signed him, Lin Quan had expressed doubts, which indirectly influenced Guardiola's opinion of Danilo.
At one point, Guardiola wondered if they had signed a flop, but now he saw that Danilo had ability and wasn't just a waste of money.
That said, compared to Walker on the other flank, Danilo was still a level below.
Even though City spent over 52 million euros to sign Walker, Guardiola now felt the deal was worth every penny.
Walker's arrival had immediately strengthened City's right flank defensively.
Walker had great speed, was physically strong, and was especially good at defending against wingers who liked to cut inside.
But Walker wasn't just about defense—he had excellent technical skills and attacking awareness. He could deliver precise passes and make deadly runs at the perfect moment.
In short, Walker was a complete player!
Facing a powerful and in-form Manchester City, Newcastle's lineup was shockingly defensive.
Playing at home, they fielded a 5-4-1 formation—purely defensive.
Against such a parked bus, City's backup players struggled to break through.
In the first half, they tried various attacking strategies but found it difficult to create clear chances.
After 45 minutes, both teams remained scoreless.
From the way the game was going, City dominated possession.
City's possession rate was over 80%, with the ball rarely leaving their feet.
Despite their dominance, City managed 14 shots in the first half, but only two were on target.
Newcastle's goalkeeper was kept busy but only made two crucial saves.
For Newcastle, this scoreline was acceptable. After all, they were playing to defend and hold out for a draw.
If they had been playing last season's Manchester City, Newcastle might have opened up more and tried to compete.
But facing this season's City, with a 17-match winning streak, Newcastle had no intention of going toe-to-toe.
Other teams that tried that approach had all fallen to City. Newcastle wasn't going to make the same mistake.
Their goal was simple—get a draw and end City's winning streak. Whether the match was entertaining or whether they scored didn't matter.
Newcastle's intentions were clear, and even the fans in the stadium could see it.
At St. James' Park, the thousands of traveling City fans booed every time Newcastle had the ball, frustrated with their ultra-defensive approach.
For fans, there's nothing more frustrating than a boring, scoreless draw—it's enough to make you fall asleep.
Early in the second half, seeing that Newcastle had no intention of changing their approach, Guardiola sent his key players to warm up on the sidelines.
Though Guardiola wasn't overly concerned about maintaining the winning streak, he wasn't willing to settle for a draw in this match.
If Newcastle managed to hold City to a draw, other lower-table teams would likely adopt the same defensive tactics when facing City in the future.
And to be honest, facing parked buses is annoying for any team.
Breaking down a packed defense is one of football's universal challenges.
Even though City is strong, breaking down such stubborn defenses takes considerable effort.
If every game required this much energy, City would struggle to sustain their form across multiple competitions.
This could lead to a collapse later in the season.
For that reason, this match had to be won.
In the 55th minute, Guardiola made his substitutions early.
De Bruyne came on for Kompany, and Lin Quan replaced Gündoğan.
From the moment Lin Quan and De Bruyne began warming up, the eyes of both sets of fans were glued to the sidelines.
It was as if the action on the sidelines was more exciting than the game itself.
When Lin Quan and De Bruyne—City's dynamic duo—entered the pitch, the reactions of the fans couldn't have been more different.
City's fans were ecstatic, feeling a surge of excitement and confidence.
Some fans, who had grown anxious from City's inability to score, now felt completely reassured.
Just seeing these two players on the field gave them a sense of security.
On the other hand, Newcastle's fans were filled with dread.
Lin Quan and De Bruyne were one of the most formidable attacking duos in football. Either one of them could terrorize an opponent on their own.
With both on the pitch, the only thing left for Newcastle's fans was to pray.
The impact of Lin Quan and De Bruyne was immediate.
City's attack became more fluid and far more dangerous.
De Bruyne's penetrating passes, combined with Lin Quan's link-up play and occasional dribbling, made City's attack much more threatening.
Newcastle's defense quickly began to falter.
In the 62nd minute, City produced a brilliant attacking move. Lin Quan received a pass from Bernardo Silva, dribbled into the box, and drew two defenders before laying the ball off to Gabriel Jesus, who calmly slotted it into the net.
City had finally cracked Newcastle's defense and taken the lead.
After scoring, Jesus ran over to the stand packed with City fans, raising his arms and urging them to cheer louder.
The City fans happily obliged, responding with even louder applause and cheers. Meanwhile, the home fans sighed in disappointment.
They marveled at how strong City had become, while still feeling frustrated by the goal they had just conceded.
They had held out for over 60 minutes. If they could have just lasted another 30, they would have ended City's winning streak. But in the end, they fell short.
It's hard to believe that just a few years ago, City was like Newcastle—a mid-table team. In fact, Newcastle had even more history and prestige than City back then.
But after the Abu Dhabi group took over, City quickly rose to become one of the Premier League's top clubs, now a powerhouse in Europe.
Newcastle, on the other hand, remained stagnant, with no sign of a similar revival.
When will Newcastle have their own meteoric rise, just like Manchester City?
Once a team breaks down a packed defense, the rest of the game tends to get easier.
If Newcastle didn't want to lose, they would have to come out and attack. And once they opened up, their defensive setup would be broken, leaving City plenty of opportunities to punish them.
However, City was surprised when Newcastle made no attempt to attack after falling behind.
Instead of pushing forward, they tightened their defensive lines even further, continuing to park the bus.
City was baffled by Newcastle's lack of ambition. Weren't they worried that City would just hold onto the ball and run down the clock?
But Newcastle didn't care. They felt no pressure about losing.
City had been so dominant this season that even the Premier League's biggest clubs had fallen to them. Who were Newcastle to think they could beat City?
Losing to City was the most normal thing in the world.
Even Liverpool had been thrashed 6-0 by City!
Newcastle had never expected to beat City—holding out for a draw was their biggest dream.
Now that this dream was shattered, they simply settled for a narrow loss, hoping to avoid a thrashing.
Faced with an opponent so lacking in ambition, City spent some time passing the ball around in the middle and back, only to realize Newcastle wasn't bothered by them running down the clock.
City finally understood Newcastle's mindset.
Rather than exert more energy in a high-intensity battle, City decided to ease off.
The win was already in the bag—there was no point wasting energy.
Instead of pushing hard against a team that had given up, it made more sense to conserve energy for the next match.
Fans of both teams were unhappy with the lack of effort, condemning the players for their lack of drive.
What was the point of watching if both sides were just going through the motions?
The boos grew louder, not just from the City fans but from Newcastle's supporters as well.
Perhaps feeling the heat from the crowd's displeasure, Newcastle finally mustered a few half-hearted attacks.
City, seeing Newcastle move forward, quickly launched a few counterattacks of their own.
Sané hit the post twice within three minutes, causing Newcastle fans to break out in cold sweats.
After that, Newcastle completely withdrew again, refusing to attack no matter what.
With their opponents retreating into a deep shell once more, Sané stood with his hands on his hips, sighing in frustration.
Luck wasn't on his side today. He had two great chances but hit the post both times. If either of those shots had gone in, he would have added to his goal tally. (End of Chapter)
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