Premier League Round 31: Can Man City overcome the "pressure"?

(Baonghean) - In the highest tournament in the foggy country this year, after 30 rounds, except for Chelsea who have broken away to create a safe distance, the remaining 3 teams including: Man City, Arsenal, Man Utd have a point gap of only 1, so if they "misstep", the rankings can change. Because 3/4 teams played on Saturday and all won, from 2nd place, the blue half of Man City temporarily "fell" to 4th place. This round 31, Man City will have a trip to Selhurst Park of Crystal Palace, although they do not face a very difficult opponent, but under the pressure of having to win, it is not easy for Man City to return with 3 full points...

Hero Sergio Aguero failed to score after 466 minutes. Photo Internet

In this 31st round, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd all took to the field on Saturday (May 3). The highlight match between Arsenal and Liverpool opened an emotional round with teams competing for the top 4. For Liverpool, after the unfortunate loss to Man Utd at home at Anfield, fans hoped for a change in both playing style and score. However, the more hope, the more disappointment, in the match against Arsenal, the team from Merseyside showed a weak face and accepted to go home empty-handed right at the end of the first half. Because after the last 8 minutes of the first half, goalkeeper Mignolet had to pick the ball out of the net 3 times, while the attack line was too "gentle" even though they also created a few clear scoring situations. And when the match ended with a score of 4-1 in favor of Arsenal, Brendan Rodgers and his students understood that their door to the top 4 was almost closed. This was confirmed by The Kop's coach himself: "Our situation is very, very difficult now. This is a match where we should have revived and learned a lesson, but the score is too disappointing." As for Arsenal, the 4 goals in this match were 4 masterpieces scored by 4 players, once again proving that coach Arsene Wenger's form is at its peak. This victory not only helped the Emirates team temporarily take second place from Man City but also put enormous pressure on the blue half of Manchester in their away match at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.

Following Arsenal's magnificent victory, it was Man Utd's turn to do the same when welcoming their favorite opponent Aston Villa - a team struggling to escape from the dangerous position. At home at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney and his teammates completely overwhelmed their opponents with a pressing style of play. The "Red Devils of Manchester" always had a ball possession rate of over 70%, making fans believe that coach Louis Van Gaal's philosophy had permeated the feet of each MU player, and now it was time for them to enjoy the happiness of this football philosophy that was criticized as wrong at the beginning of the season. This victory was even more beautiful when the respected captain Wayne Rooney scored a goal that made former midfielder Paul Scholes exclaim when witnessing it: "This is a once in a lifetime moment".

Since Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea all played well and won, this will put a lot of pressure on the legs of Man City players. Moreover, unlike a few months ago, Man City was considered the only team that could stop Chelsea in the race for the championship. Currently, the Etihad team is clearly running out of steam.

The familiar image of Man City is a team that often has spectacular sprints in recent seasons, but in the decisive stage of this season, it is completely the opposite. The main striker Sergio Aguero - who always shows his "killer" instinct in the penalty area - has not been able to score for the home team in the last 466 minutes. This is the worst "achievement" since he stepped into Etihad from Atlético Madrid. And with Man City in recent years, the team's performance is reflected in the performance of this Argentine player. It feels that every time Aguero does not score, the "never-empty wallet" of the Arab oil bosses is affected. Among them are names like Yaya Toure, David Silva, Jesus Navas, Fernandinho...

So what is the reason for the Etihad team's decline? Many people think that the "soul" of midfield Yaya Toure's low motivation; Manuel Pellegrini's overly simple playing style and being too busy pursuing ambitions on too many fronts are the reasons why "The Citizen" is out of breath at this crucial moment.

As for their opponents, Crystal Palace have two players, Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, who are both very agile and in good form. Surely, coach Alan Pardew will use these two weapons to attack the slow full-backs of the opponent's defense of Man City. Moreover, the mentality of the teams is usually to win against the defending champions, so they will play with more than 100% of their inherent form. This is also a difficulty for coach Manuel Pellegrini in the away trip to Selhurst Park.

Early morning of April 7, Manuel Pellegrini and his team will travel to Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park with the sole mission of winning. In terms of strength, it will not be difficult for Aguero to win all 3 points to regain 2nd place from Arsenal. The problem is when the motivation is exhausted and the pressure is increasing, will Manuel Pellegrini and his team be able to play as expected?

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