Manchester City embarrassed Arsenal in yesterday’s potentially season-defining 4-1 win, which is highly likely to be the deciding factor in the title race.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated from start to finish in this game, where Kevin De Bruyne showed his class from midfield, as he was on hand to score a brace.
We sat down to talk with Liverpool icon, John Barnes, who shared his opinion on Manchester City’s performance, just as he also praised the Belgian midfielder and Jack Grealish.
Barnes Singles Out Praise For 2021 Signing
Barnes underlined the importance of Manchester City playing the game and not the occasion, which is a huge strength, but he also shared his admiration for Jack Grealish and the development he has gone through under Pep Guardiola.
“I’m no more impressed with Manchester City now than I have been for the past four or five years.
“They do what they have to do. They don’t play the occasion, they play the game. They don’t worry about who they’re facing whether it’s Arsenal or Liverpool. They understand their system and play their system well.
“I have to give Jack Grealish a special mention because he now understands Manchester City’s system more than when he first came. At Villa he just did whatever he wanted. He got the ball from the goalkeeper or he would drop deep and roam around the field. Now he stays on the left side and knows the ball will come to him.
“Play one and two touch when needed, work hard defensively. I remember against Liverpool and Tottenham where he chased back to stop attacks. He’s a much better team player now.”
Grealish has established himself as a regular in the starting XI for Manchester City this season, and has repaid that faith shown in him with five goals and ten assists to his name from 43 appearances across all competitions. Barnes went on to admit that feels as though the former Aston Villa midfielder is making the right decisions for Pep Guardiola’s men.
“At Villa he was maybe more eye-catching as everything went through him. At Manchester City he’s part of a team and when he’s called upon to make the right decisions he’s doing it.
“Against Arsenal the team understood what’s required of them for the 90 minutes no matter where the ball is on the field.”
Manchester City have moved into red-hot favourites to win the 2022/23 Premier League title, as they’re best priced at 1/12 with BetVictor to claim another league title this term. Arsenal are best priced at 19/2 with 10bet to win the league title, although the Gunners supporters will surely feel as though they’ve blown their chance at coming out on top this term after the defeat to Manchester City. For a closer look at betting offers from the best UK betting sites, head over to our dedicated page.
‘One Of My Favourite Players To Watch’
Kevin De Bruyne once again pulled off a hugely impressive performance, and Barnes highlighted the significance of the Belgian midfielder, who he calls one of his favourite players to watch.
“When he played for Belgium, Hazard was the individual that would dribble whereas KDB had to play a more disciplined role.
“If KDB was in that ten role rather than Hazard he could have been more effective and done what Hazard did.
“For Manchester City he makes the right decisions in the right areas, he works hard for the team. He’s been fantastic and is one of my favourite players to watch.
“When he’s called upon to do something special he does and when he’s asked to do something simple he does even though he can pull off that tougher pass.”
One of the huge pressures on Guardiola and his Manchester City side is the expectation of his side to win the highly coveted Champions League.
“This City side is superior to the Manchester United team that won the Treble in 1999”, Carragher told the Telegraph following on from City’s 4-1 dismantling of title rivals Arsenal. Barnes believes Pep’s Manchester City side have revolutionised the game in a way Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble winners didn’t despite their success.
“I think this City side can be mentioned amongst the likes of Sacchi’s Milan side, Cruyff and Pep Barcelona and Michel’s Ajax side.
“Look at the way City have played in the last four or five years, the icing on the cake would be the Champions League which they haven’t won. The treble would be a monumental success for them.
“The revolutionary way that they’ve approached football would make it more impressive than Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man United treble team.”
Manchester City are set to return to action this weekend, when they take on Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday 30th April 2023, in a game where they’ll move to the top of the table with a victory over the Cottagers.
