What the Premier League is all about: Citizens throwing sticks at each other, Southampton’s new strategy a move of desperation

Why wasn’t it a wise move by Manchester City to get rid of Joao Cancelo until at least the summer? In the third part of the new weekly column, in which we analyse interesting facts from the world of English football, we will briefly delve into the relegation waters alongside Manchester City, specifically looking at Southampton and Leeds.

The Citizens are preparing for the title themselves

Arsenal will lose, Manchester City the day or week after too. Given the current atmosphere in the camps of both title contenders, the phrase “All championship roads lead to London” is a good one

It is almost unbelievable how Pep Guardiola, with an incredibly strong squad, fails to handle key moments. Yet he has Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden and similar top names coming off the bench. But the Blue and Whites simply lack team spirit, as even the coach himself has admitted.

The atmosphere is not helped by the Joao Cancelo scandal, who is being solidly replaced by Rico Lewis, but he is a freshly 18-year-old player who can’t avoid lapses in form. Moreover, Cancelo played more on the left side.

That leaves only Nathan Aké on the left, who is primarily a stopper and doesn’t have the offensive qualities for a running back. So letting Cancelo go may relax the atmosphere in the cabin for a few weeks, but in a busy schedule it will start to show that Manchester let go of a player who had a bad three months out of the last two excellent years.

Is it time to change Leeds?

Leeds have sacked Jesse Marsch after a run of seven league rounds without a win. The move is particularly interesting because they brought in additional and rather expensive reinforcements in the winter. And the Whites weren’t playing bad football, just lacking composure in the end.

Leeds, meanwhile, are trying in vain to bring in a replacement, first choice Carlos Corberán has extended at West Bromwich and it begs the question of whether it was time to sack Marsh. After all, he has brought in three American compatriots and several players from Salzburg, who he has managed in the past. We’ll see how his successor handles the squad.

Southampton’s money trail is not helping and it doesn’t suit

Southampton lost again at the weekend and their deficit at the bottom of the table continues to grow. The club’s management resorted to an unconventional move in the winter, investing 58 million euros in new players. Only Arsenal and unbeaten Chelsea have spent more.

And the Saints are not benefiting from the massive reinforcements. Suddenly, part of the core of the team is sitting on the bench and the game lacks a fighting heart. In previous years Southampton have struggled to survive to the final rounds, this year they will be happy if there is still a chance of salvation at the end of the season.

Source: Premier League