Pelligrini XI will be heading to Wembley Stadium to take on Liverpool in the final of Capital One Cup at the end of February. However, it has not been a steady ride for the Sky Blues as they had a mountainous task to beat Everton in the second leg of the semifinal after losing to them in game 1.
The Citizens were level on the scoresheet in the second half, but the late winner from Sergio Aguero, the striker who has garnered a reputation for netting winning goals since his arrival at the Etihad helped Manchester City beat Everton with 4-3 on aggregate.
Sky Blues have a rich history of staging comebacks and have done it again and again since their overhaul five years ago. The Soccer world witnessed one of the most thrilling fightback in the history of Premier League last week when Aguero hit the net against QPR, ultimately winning them the title in literally the last minute of the game and season.
In 2014, City was 1-0 down to Sunderland in the final of league cup and eventually won the tournament by a score of 3-1.
The catch is that with big money come big expectations and City is a perfect example of it. They are fighting for four different trophies; FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and the English Premier League. Every club has its priorities but winning it all is a possibility, a challenge and a dream for any team. Those are the best case scenarios, and we are considering a more realistic approach that Pelligrini should think about if he wants any of those titles this season.
Help Yaya Toure Sort Out Issues:
Yaya Toure is the most senior squad member at City, and if he loses temper in the middle of the pitch, the rest of the team cannot be blamed. The Ivorian is one beast who possess all qualities to be considered a complete player in the game. The former Monaco player was at his best in 13/14 season when he scored 24 goals and made further 12 assists in all competitions.
However, Yaya has not been same since then. It is not just a matter of stats in the following two seasons, but he seems to struggle with his attitude as well. None can complain about the quality he can still harness on a given day in a match, but his continued whining and complaining has not helped him much keeping in mind the statistical analysis of his performances in previous two seasons. If Pelligrini wants to win it all, Toure has to be at his best; not just statistically but mentally as well.
Silva’s Feet Holds The Base:
David Silva is undoubtedly the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League since last five years. The Spaniard has an amazing ability to create space and score goals against the world’s best defences. The former Valencia man has played fantastic football for City and is already considered the best midfield talent Manchester City has ever invested in. Unfortunately, for him and the club, he has not been delineating his prowess since coming back from his first major injury at the club, and it is not helping Pelligrini’s cause much. Silva is the heart of City’s attack and needs to be at his best to fulfil this year’s trophy quota.
Diversify The Strike Options:
There is no denying the fact that that Sergio Aguero is one of the best defenders in the world right now and a lone warrior for Manchester City. Soccer pundits would tend to agree that no club can win multiple titles by pinning all their hopes on a single striker. Going by this logic, it can be said that City rather needs one or may two more defenders to sort things out, but the unveiled truth is that trophies are not won with good defending.
Defending is a uniform skill and can be mastered with practice, but attacking is a creative art. A club can only survive in bigger tournaments if they have more of those creative artists who can craft their art into perfection. Kevin De Bruyne is one answer to this question, but his job is not to score goals and with his recent injury he is already expected to be sidelined for the next two months. The Sky Blues need a second striker to compliment Aguero at the front.
If Pelligrini can answer these questions, he has a good shot at the quadruple considering the quality squad he has under him.
