Theo Walcott thinks Manchester City have a “little crack” in their armour now.
Previously, Trent Alexander-Arnold has claimed that to go toe-to-toe with the Sky Blues in a title race, their competitors must be “near-perfect.”
Interestingly, the Liverpool vice-captain admitted in a latest interview as well that it is tough to imagine City not winning the Premier League title this season.
If a player who has competed with Pep Guardiola’s men time and time again has such feelings, it is difficult to argue with him.
Perhaps Manchester City would have been doubted as potential Premier League winners had they beaten Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final.
Having to face Bayern Munich in the semi-final over two legs as well as compete in the title race would have been an immensely challenging ask.
Walcott says there might be a “little crack” about Man City now
With City having played as much football as they did last season as well due to winning the treble combined with most of their players playing at the 2022 World Cup, another Champions League could potentially have burned them out.
But now, after being eliminated from Europe’s competition, that might be a blessing in disguise for the club’s title hopes.
Of course, the City players would have been devastated not to have been able to get the job done against Real Madrid, especially at the Etihad Stadium.
But before the season, if their players were asked whether they aimed to win the Premier League or the Champions League, it would be fair to assume they would choose the latter.
Phil Foden revealed [via the Daily Mail] that there is a saying pinned up on one of the club’s walls that reads, “Nobody has won four Premier Leagues in a row…yet.”
Foden added that his wish is to make history and ensure City do so this season.
Clearly, the prospect of doing that is keeping the players driven.
However, Theo Walcott has revealed that with some Manchester City players admitting they are tired, there might be chinks in their armour which could affect their title hopes.
“Would you [Jamie Redknapp] say at Manchester City, there are small cracks in the armour based on the fact that players have been coming out and saying they are tired, they are playing a lot of football, that’s the different side of City we have not really seen, do you feel mentality they are starting to, not switch off, they are getting the job done, but I am saying there is a little crack in their armour potentially”, he said on Sky Sports [10:08 pm, 20/04/2024].
Bernardo Silva did blast the fixture schedule after Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, admitting he “wasn’t fine at all” during the game due to feeling pain in his calf and hamstring.
Pep Guardiola was also fuming about why his City side could not have just played on Sunday, seeing how they played in Europe on Wednesday, unlike Chelsea, Manchester United and Coventry City.
Whether Theo Walcott is right will be proven over time
Some might disagree with Theo Walcott and feel he might have egg on his face at the end of the season if Manchester City go on to win the Premier League title.
Others may think Walcott is making an interesting point about City.
However, there might be merit to both arguments.
Ultimately, time will tell whether the former Arsenal forward is correct.
But to doubt this group of players and managers would be naïve, seeing how they are seemingly motivated when all eyes are on them to prove their mettle.