Scour the country for fans’ opinions on who will win this year’s Premier League and the majority are in the Liverpool camp. But not Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini.
Despite his side’s helter-skelter 3-2 loss to Liverpool and the 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland that followed, seemingly fracturing their conviction that they can regain the title, the Chilean is unfazed.
City still have to hope an understrength Chelsea can at least secure a draw with Liverpool when they kick off just over two hours earlier on Sunday, but Pellegrini remains optimistic that the pacesetters could well succumb to the stresses of topping the table.
“Of course we can win the league. Everyone working in football knows anything can happen when the pressure is high,” Pellegrini told City’s website..
“I don’t know what Chelsea are going to do – the only important thing and the only thing we can do is to win our game and that is what we’re going to do from now until the end of the season.”
City right back Pablo Zabaleta said the focus was more on their own dressing room and their fixture in south London against Crystal Palace, despite the temptation to watch Liverpool v Chelsea.
“The manager always tries to give us some information, but the main thing is to play our game. If we do our best, we know we will get chances.”
Former Liverpool defender and television commentator Mark Lawrenson knows all about success at the top of the game having clinched five league titles with the five-times European champions in the 1980s.
His verdict? City’s race is run.
“The noises coming out of the club might be saying that they are still in it and that every game counts, but I think Manchester City know the game is up and their defeat at Anfield was the end of their chances,” Lawrenson told the BBC.
“If the City players are sitting in the dressing room before this game and news comes through that Liverpool have just beaten Chelsea too, then it really will be all over for them.”
Main image courtesy of Alex Morton/Action Images, with thanks.
