Joe Hart, the Manchester City goalkeeper, admits the huge size of the challenge facing Roberto Mancini’s players as they chase a first title since 1968.
6:00AM GMT 28 Dec 2011
Comment However, he insists that they are “still the team to beat” in this season’s race. Manchester United are now level on points with Manchester City and Hart knows his side will have “to earn this title”. It promises to be an epic duel in the second half of the season.
Mancini has colossal resources to call upon, and can invest in the January transfer window, while United possess the experience of serial title campaigners, a formidable hunger and the nous of Sir Alex Ferguson. Nobody plots a title run-in better than the United manager.
In attempting to topple the champions, history indicates the scale of City’s task. The previous time City had been top on Christmas Day, they lost six and drew two of their next nine league games, eventually trailing in third behind Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County in the 1929-1930 season.
City know they come under the harshest of scrutiny because they are trying to make history and because of the hundreds of millions spent so far. They know that people are making a lot of the fact that the Boxing Day stalemate with a defensively superb West Bromwich Albion was the first time they have failed to score in the league this season.
“Let them make a lot of what they want,’’ replied Hart. “We’re top of the league, still playing well, still creating chances. We’re the team to beat and we’re enjoying that. It’s not always going to be as easy as we’ve made it look, and that was proved against West Brom. Of course it’s disappointing. West Brom were brilliant. We need to be winning these games but we haven’t and we move on.
“The league is not set up for us to win it. Everyone has their private little things that they’re doing. If they’re not challenging for the title they’re challenging for Europe. If they’re not challenging for Europe they want to stay above the relegation zone. Everyone has their own agendas and that makes for a great league.”
United have registered back-to-back 5-0 wins, swamping Fulham and Wigan Athletic, intensifying the pressure on City. “Of course we feel the pressure,’’ added Hart, arguing that pressure came in all forms.
“Everyone felt the pressure from West Brom. We felt the pressure from Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long. There is all sorts of pressure. But we’re applying pressure as well which makes it so good. At the end of it, we want to be winning games but if you aren’t winning it’s still nice to have that cushion of being top of the league. But you have got to earn this title. It’s hard work.’’
The work was made harder by City’s struggles to break down Albion’s resolute defence. “We didn’t have the killer instinct,’’ said City’s captain, Vincent Kompany. “This is the Premier League and West Brom showed they are a team in form. I still think for us there are some positives to take out of it: that’s three clean sheets in a row and we are very confident we can go on and win the next games.”
City travel to the Stadium of Light on Sunday before entertaining Liverpool at home on Tuesday, a short time gap that Mancini has already complained about. After a break for cup combat, City take on Wigan Athletic (away) and Tottenham Hotspur (home). The intensity of the schedule and the quality of United ensures the most tense of run-ins.
“We knew that,’’ reflected Kompany of the likelihood of the race going all the way. “There was no doubt about that being the case. It is going to be an interesting second half to the season.”
United have registered back-to-back 5-0 wins, swamping Fulham and Wigan Athletic, intensifying the pressure on City. “Of course we feel the pressure,’’ added Hart, arguing that pressure came in all forms.
“Everyone felt the pressure from West Brom. We felt the pressure from Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long. There is all sorts of pressure. But we’re applying pressure as well which makes it so good. At the end of it, we want to be winning games but if you aren’t winning it’s still nice to have that cushion of being top of the league. But you have got to earn this title. It’s hard work.’’
The work was made harder by City’s struggles to break down Albion’s resolute defence. “We didn’t have the killer instinct,’’ said City’s captain, Vincent Kompany. “This is the Premier League and West Brom showed they are a team in form. I still think for us there are some positives to take out of it: that’s three clean sheets in a row and we are very confident we can go on and win the next games.”
City travel to the Stadium of Light on Sunday before entertaining Liverpool at home on Tuesday, a short time gap that Mancini has already complained about. After a break for cup combat, City take on Wigan Athletic (away) and Tottenham Hotspur (home). The intensity of the schedule and the quality of United ensures the most tense of run-ins.
“We knew that,’’ reflected Kompany of the likelihood of the race going all the way. “There was no doubt about that being the case. It is going to be an interesting second half to the season.”