In sport you have believe anything is possible, otherwise you wouldn’t have moments like Anfield 89, Wigan beating Man City in the FA Cup final, or Ignatius Magee winning the 1962 Olympic 100 metres gold medal for Ireland.
At this moment in time, the idea of anyone catching Manchester City seems fanciful, but Granit Xhaka isn’t giving up the ghost.
The Swiss international acknowledges their incredible current form, but says it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that they could have a blip, and that Arsenal have to be ready to take advantage of that if and when that happens.
“I think in football everything is possible,” he told Sky Sports.
“Manchester City, at the moment, are on a very good run, they’re doing very well and others have dropped points – which they haven’t done – but it’s conceivable that they could drop points as well.”
“They might not continue as they have been, but our aim is just to focus on ourselves. We know we need to work and we’re convinced that we can compete at the top.
“Everything’s possible, I’m a person who thinks realistically but has dreams and fantasies as well. In football, everything is always possible.”
Can’t fault the attitude, but let’s just try and win our next game and see where we go from there.
To de plane, Tattoo!
They may as well give city the title now because they are miles ahead of all the teams and De Bruyne is out of this world atm. A top 4 finish with a cup wouldn’t be a bad season for us this year.
The only thing I wonder is that Pep seems to be playing these guys every game. Ranieri got away with it when Leicester won the title and so did Conte the year after, but it’s risky. Especially because City probably fancy a Champions League run as well. Leicester and Chelski didn’t have to worry about that. We will see, but Pep might burn his players out.
Also Leicester and Chavski played at a much slower tempo (as in slow but occasionally exceptionally fast, whereas $iteh seem to be fast most of the time).
City’s only concern is their defence. They have plenty of depth everywhere else. I mean of course I’d like arsenal to win the league but I’m not deluded, we’re miles away. But I think we can finish 3rd place and winning the Europa league and/or FA Cup and/or League Cup would be a success. Not sure why my comment was so unpopular, City are playing fantastic football atm and are 12 points ahead of us. I don’t see united getting more points from now till the end of the season than City will, and the same goes for Chelsea. I… Read more »
I’d guess that your comment isn’t popular because we all know (or should know) that nothing is certain in football (and especially in the PL). There’s little doubt that $iteh will be in the top 4 but saying anything more than that after so few games when so many injuries, poor refs decisions and non-footballing disasters (like will KdB have a car crash etc) are still possible.
That’s true, nothing is certain in football. Having followed Pep Guardiola’s teams in the past very closely I can conclusively say that their remarkable form is not a fluke, and I believe that he has it in him as a manager to compensate for injury problems and keep his teams as fresh as you possibly can in such a demanding league. His issue last season with the defence was his style of play needs pacey full backs – that wasn’t the case with Sagna/Zabaletta & Kolorov/Cliche. He made an ambitious/risky move by letting all four leave and replaced them with… Read more »
Is that you, Pep?
There’s no doubt that he has a special ability when it comes to spending lots of money. But doing that in the weaker leagues that Barca and Bayern play in is very different from the PL. Over 50% of their games are comparative walkovers where he could rest lots of players without affecting their chance of success, so he’d usually have his best players rested for the big games. I do think he’s a good manager and possibly a great manager, but it’s his time in the PL which will confirm that (or not). As for their youth facilities, they’ve… Read more »
@Andy you’re right, but in my opinion it’s a different ball game. Put Pep and Allardyce in a relegation struggling team and pep would probably get relegated every time. Just as if you put that fat walrus in City, they’d underperform significantly in respect to their potential. Different skill set. What pep is brilliant at is turning good players into great players and turning great players in to world class stars. He makes world class players put their egos aside and gets them to perform for the team. Look at the way David Silva and de bruyne track back and… Read more »
There’s a big difference between the PL and other leagues. In La Liga RM, Barca and more recently AM are the only teams that could be REGULAR top 10 teams in the PL (this isn’t a discussion of where in the top 10). Then there’s 3 or 4 teams that could be steady PL teams and could have the odd season in the top 10 (and play well in the Europa league). The other 13 teams are more like our championship level. That’s to say that they could beat a PL team occasionally but nowhere near often enough. Now the… Read more »
yeah thats why he got dicked by Mourinho, inspite of having Messi, and had a nervous breakdown.
And why inspite of buying lewandowski and goetze and hummels, Bayern couldnt compete in the CL
“Dicked by Mourinho” by which you mean winning La Liga three years out of the four seasons he spent at Barcelona (along with the Copa del Rey twice). And Pep’s head to head record against him in Spain being W5 L2 D4 (three of those draws coming in aggregate victories for Barcelona). And he didn’t sign Hummels either but whatever. The whole “buying success” argument is next to irrelevant anyway when it can be equally applied to the teams he’s competing against – no team will win the PL this year without “buying it” (and I include Arsenal in that… Read more »
Kanu, it’s very rare for anyone in the Bundesliga to have more than 3rd of Bayerns transfer budget (although Wolfburg did match/exceed them for a couple of years).
They’re really head and shoulders above anyone else there.
Similarly RM and Barca are head and shoulders above anyone else in La Liga.
In the PL $iteh, Chavski and Utd are really a couple of steps above anyone else financially, although we’re in a pack of teams which isn’t that far behind (especially compared to the other leagues).
In the 3 seasons mourinho was in Spain, Pep won the league twice including one treble and one double. Mourinho won the league once. Pep’s Barca used to thrash Josè’s Madrid team 5-0 and 6-0. Just because the Cunt winded him up in the press conferences doesn’t mean he was more successful. Pep won the champions league twice with Barca and only didn’t win the league once with them. He won the league every season at Bayern a long with a lot of cups but just didn’t win the champions league. Being an arsenal fan and seeing some of the… Read more »
Excellent point. Been thinking that meself.
Yep, to play that fast pressing style and such a high tempo for a whole season is asking for injury trouble in the prem. In slower paced leagues it isn’t quite so intense, so it’s much more sustainable. Maybe he’s hoping to win it by Feb then just chill the fuck out.
Doesn’t seem that long ago that the other Manchester team was so far ahead that the bookies paid out on them winning the league while there were still several matches to play………..!
Exactly. Two losses back to back and they are only 6 points ahead.
Trouble is its a thick chasing pack.
One or two injuries to De bryune and key players and it’s a different looking squad. Unfortunately if that happens, pretty well cya later sanchez in January as their replacement.
De Bruyne is the best CM in the world.
I don’t think we’ll win it… or get close to winning it.
But I do think the 5 English clubs will fare better in the CL this season, particularly City.
Which means we should be fresher at key stages in the season.
Honestly, I do think City will win the title. Currently I am just hoping that they will lose at least one game this season but that makes me feel a bit ridiculous. This is not the only time a team has run away at the start of the season, yes they are playing excellent football but honestly I don’t think it is beyond the realm of possibility that Jesus/Sane/De Brunye pick up injuries over the season when the two other competitions which they haven’t been involved with yet also kick in along with the CL group stages. It IS too… Read more »
Just two back to back losses and they are within 6 points.
And we have over half the season to go.
Like your optimism but you have to admit that back to back losses aren’t very likely for a team that has dropped 2 points from their first 20 games of the season (all competitions). Would be a fantastic thing to come back from a 12 point gap but we should concentrate on a top 4 finish and having a good run in the cup competitions, if you ask me. Europa League and FA cup plus CL football next Season would be more than ok for me.
Their defence is poor but their attack is exceptional.
It’ll need at least a couple of injuries like Kompany and KdB, or 2 CBs, but it’s certainly a possibility that they’ll have a sizeable blip.
Can we be close enough (and lucky enough) to benefit???
No one knows for certain.
Wasn’t that Seamus Magee?
Yeh we’ve heard it all before although not as much recently.. i am going to enjoy the nice wins here and there and hopefully making the top 4, given Ozil and Alexis situation doesn’t spill out of hands.
GET TO DA CHOPPAAA!!!
He’s not the only one with this sort of ‘fantasy’.
The thing is anyone who’s been around long enough in sport knows full well that bizarre turns-of-event occur all the time.
Likely? Fuck no.
Impossible? Equally, fuck no.
Only an idiot would think so less than a third into the current season.
Unfortunately we do have quite a lot of idiot fans…
Wigan – Man City? Meh. Coventry – Spurs was far more enjoyable…
You’re not wrong there. Just watched the Youtube highlights, what a laugh!
Yet not as surprising..
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but I think we could do the quadruple.
Winning four away games would be good.
I can’t see it, but I do hope they slip up soon. I know it’s probably pure jealousy but I’m beginning to hate Guardiola and his smug after match press conferences, and the simpering media fawning to his ‘genius’ (conveniently forgetting the bazillions he has spent to make it happen).
Not that I’m bitter…
Most players cost US$50 million ! Even Wenger can win the league with that team!
Tell us more about the fantasies Xhaka…
City are good, but not that far ahead of us, the hype is building them into something better than they are. I don’t know if we can catch them, but they’ll
oops, have a bad patch at some stage, and strange things can happen in football.
Still over half a season to go.
We’ve seen 12 point lead a shed before
Just saying.
Anyone giving up now are known as bottlers.
Yeah, its bit early to be giving City the trophy. A lot of football left, and a lot of things can happen. City look beatable. KDB is on a tear, but nobody keeps that up all season long. They gonna drop points. Its just that the chasing pack has to catch up. Arsenal have basically lost more games at this point then in have in recent years. This suggests (perhaps!) that more wins than losses (none I hope) in front. With Alexis, Lacaz, and Ozil (despite the exit rumors) playing well, healthy, and clicking – things could well turn around… Read more »
Too early to say City will win it. 6 points can be shed very quickly. Another draw here and there and its 8.
Problem for us is the chasing pack. There are 4 teams still ahead of us.
OTOH…over half a season to go. Its plain stupid to give it up now.
Siteh this, Siteh that..Lets see after Christmas.
City also seem to have the rub of the green at the mo: Kompany should have gone for a prof foul v Leicester who all so hit the post early on. That will change.
Pep is not all that. He need to prove us with a smaller club. All the clubs behind his success are big money spenders he always have the best players at his disposal.. He’s just lucky and not a special genius
‘Ignatius Magee’ that made me laugh out loud for about 20 seconds! I needed that.
there is a point in every season when the refs give marginal decisions to the better team/leaders that they feel will win it. to me city has crossed that point.
we are one KDB injury away from winning the title.
lets dream a little guys…… this is football