Pep Guardiola emitted a deep exhale after the realisation that his team would be treated to a rare free week before travelling to Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park.
The rest ultimately served Guardiola’s side well as City returned to action with a 1-0 victory in south London. However, the reigning champions had to rely upon a second-half penalty from Erling Haaland to get over the line and shrink the gap up to Arsenal at the Premier League summit.
Any future free weeks depend on City’s success in the Champions League and FA Cup. However, here’s what lies ahead for Guardiola’s side as things stand.
Guardiola was so concerned about the threat RB Leipzig offered in transition that City almost lapsed into a caricature of their possession-obsession selves in the first leg.
It worked up to a point as Leipzig didn’t attempt their first shot of the contest until first-half stoppage time but sloppiness crept into City’s game after the interval, giving Josko Gvardiol – ironically nicknamed Pep because of their similar surnames – the chance to cancel out Riyad Mahrez’s opener from a second-half corner.
Without the complication of away goals, it’s winner-takes-all at the Etihad in midweek.
Not many opposition managers have the luxury of taking their team to an away ground which has a statue of themselves sitting outside. But that is the fate that awaits Vincent Kompany when Burnley travel to the Etihad in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Clarets are flying high at the top of the Championship, playing possession-based football which serves as a stark contrast to the approach Sean Dyche espoused for so many years (with great success it should be stressed).
While Mikel Arteta is currently getting the better of Guardiola in the Premier League, can the Catalan fend off another one of his disciples?
Only one manager has racked up more than seven career wins against Guardiola throughout his senior management career. Jurgen Klopp has beaten him 12 times.
Klopp has achieved two of those victories this season alone, steering Liverpool to a Community Shield win against City all the…
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