Manchester City v Brighton: The Citizens view with City Xtra

Brighton make the daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium with the 2020-21 season nearly at its half way stage and as City Xtra explain, it has been a bit of a weird campaign so far for Manchester City.

The Citizens have been badly impacted by Covid-19 and have barely troubled the top four so far – a far cry from the relentless winning machine that we have come to expect from a club who have done everything but win the Champions League since Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016.

Barely troubled the top four until now, that is. Rather ominously for Brighton ahead of our trip to the Etihad, City are starting to pick up. They have won their last six games in a row to move almost unnoticed into title contention, sitting seven points behind Manchester United but with two games in hand.

Could City come from nowhere to win their third championship in four seasons? And is there anything that the Albion can do to stop them racking up consecutive win number seven? Vayam Lahoti from City Xtra gives us the view from the Etihad.

This is turning into a bit of a strange season with nobody seeming to want to grab the bull by the horns at the top of the table. What have you made of City’s campaign so far?
City have endured an indifferent start to the league campaign, given the unbelievably high standards they have set for themselves from the consecutive title-winning campaigns.

Though defensive frailties marred their start of the season, City have found their feet in all areas of the pitch in recent weeks and have hit form just a right time.

Though we were not on anyone’s radar a few months back, we have slowly climbed up the table and with a promising run of fixtures ahead, things can only get better from here.

Nobody really seems to be talking about City as title contenders, probably because you have spent most of the season outside the top four but you are still only four points off the top with two games in hand. Could you win it?
Though we have missed a host of key players so far, be it due to injury or COVID-19, we have managed to stay in and around the top half after a miserable start to the campaign.

However, with our newfound defensive resilience, we are managing to see games out as we have to because we know that it is not quite happening for us at the business end of the pitch. That is something we were unable to do for much of the previous campaign.

With the likes of Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus getting back to full fitness, the goals will come. As far as the title race is concerned, it is nobody’s to lose at the minute and that is what makes this season unique.

With Liverpool having dropped off recently and Manchester United shipping goals for fun, City have the perfect opportunity to hit the top of the pile but the likes of Tottenham Hotspur should not be ruled out either. City know what it takes to do it the hard way and that is their biggest strength as we enter the second half of the season.

City have been impacted more than most so far by Covid-19. What difference do you think that is making to the season?
City have been massively affected by COVID-19 – first-team players such as Jesus, Kyle Walker, Ferran Torres, Riyad Mahrez, Ederson and Aymeric Laporte have all undergone self-isolation in the midst of the jam-packed schedule.

It disrupts the rhythm of the team and though City have the best squad in England, it takes a massive toll on the players and it is just as much about the mental side of it as the physical side.

Pep has had to chop and change even more with the players in and out of isolation and though that is no excuse for the bad run we had been on, it is a huge contributing factor.

Who have been City’s most impressive players so far? Any disappointments?
Ruben Dias has been a rock at the back since his switch from Benfica – he is the breath of fresh air that our defence was longing for; a huge reason as to why City have the best defensive record in the division.

A special mention goes out to the impeccable and versatile Joao Cancelo, who has arguably been City’s best and most consistent player this season.

Our frontline haven’t been at their ruthless best, but the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan have been imperious in the middle of the park.

It would be really harsh to judge anyone for a drop in their level of performance with all that has been going on off the pitch, but Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Mahrez and Jesus haven not been up to the mark for a large part of the season so far, though they have improved considerably of late

Pep Guardiola signed a new contract in November, ending a lot of speculation about his future. How important was that?
It was a massive statement from the Spaniard. With there being constant speculation about his future, coupled with the underwhelming run of form his side were on, it was a much-needed boost and said a lot about Pep’s mentality – that he does not run away from a challenge.

If this side need a re-build, Pep will be at the heart of it and the board will support him through thick and think. He has got unfinished business at City, having slumped in the Champions League time and again – he needs to prove a point to all those who were doubting him, and the best way to kick that off would be by taking back what is truly ours, the Premier League title.

Manchester City ran out comfortable winners in both our match in 2019-20 by an aggregate score line of 9-0. What did you make of those two matches?
In the 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium last season, David Silva and De Bruyne ran the show and Aguero was at his scintillating best. Though Brighton really gave City a run for their money, it was a comfortable win for the Sky Blues.

The 5-0 win at the Amex was much more of a cagey affair, especially during the first half, as Brighton almost took the lead a couple of times from set-pieces.

Though we won by a considerable margin, the story could have been different if Brighton took a few of their chances early on, given how shaky City were at the back then.

Brighton are yet to take so much as a point from Manchester City in the Premier League – what piece of advice would City Xtra give Graham Potter to change that at the Etihad this time?
I would tell Graham Potters to play to his strengths so as to not expose his weaknesses. Though there has been a growing trend of teams sitting deep against City and playing on the counter, it provides teams little joy because we will find a way to goal sooner rather than later.

City just haven’t been tested enough in recent weeks. Brighton are more than capable of hurting us, I’d say a fast start from the Seagulls could put pressure on City.

Finally, what is the City Xtra prediction for Manchester City v Brighton please?
City have momentum on their side and though we are struggling with a few absences, the team has hit the deck at the right time and with Brighton just above the relegation zone, we are expecting a comfortable win for the hosts. Manchester City 4-0 Brighton.

Thanks to Vayam from City Xtra for talking to us ahead of Manchester City v Brighton. You can keep follow the Citizens in their quest to regain the Premier League title on City Xtra and by following them on Twitter.