Premier league managers are bracing for the fight to make the cut in the top four ranking in the table standings. After the midweek games, the managers have outlined their ambitions and targets. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has expressed his satisfaction with the result against city rivals Manchester City. The two Manchester teams drew 0-0 in the derby game on Thursday night, at the Etihad Stadium. “With the resilience, the character, the personality, the desire and all the objectives we can find, I am super happy with the boys,” said Jose Mourinho, “In the first half we were very good. We controlled them, totally, easily, and we were dangerous on the counter-attack.” He said they will be focused for the upcoming matches in Europe and in the league, and with the race for top four getting tighter, it’s vital. “We know we play our lives on Thursday in Vigo (against Celta Vigo) because we have to consider that the most important match as we have reached a European semi-final,” he said, adding that against Celta Vigo, they will give everything.
He said they will be focused for the upcoming matches in Europe and in the premier league, and with the race for top four getting tighter, it’s vital. “We know we play our lives on Thursday in Vigo (against Celta Vigo) because we have to consider that the most important match as we have reached a European semi-final,” he said, adding that against Celta Vigo, they will give everything.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said that despite the goalless draw, his team played to win, insisting that Manchester United also played to win, “I’m pretty sure United came here to try to win the game. I have never met one team, one opponent, or one player that doesn’t try to win the game.” However, he said that the ratio of chances they created to chances scored is very low. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany said they’re still confident of making top four in the premier league, “But, of course, we’re still confident of making top four. There’s nothing in the performance that needs to worry us. We’re not far away from really clicking and being an extremely powerful side.”
Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger said his team still intends to finish in the top four, despite being position six with 60 points with a game in hand, four points behind fifth-placed Manchester United after their midweek win against Leicester at the Emirates. He also said Tottenham Hotspur cannot surpass Arsenal in terms of glory, “The priority for us is to finish in the top four,” he said “After that, for the pride and the continuity of our achievements, yes we want to fight to be in front of Spurs. We have to focus on what is really important to us at the moment, which is to finish in the top four.”
In the current English league table, Chelsea lead with 78 points, Tottenham are second with 74 points, Liverpool are third with 66 points, Manchester city are fourth with 65 points, United are fifth with 65 points while Arsenal are sixth with 60 points. Of those teams, Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester City and United have played 33 games, while Liverpool have played 34 games and Arsenal 32 games.
