Pep Guardiola thinks Aston Villa are Premier League title contenders with their ‘incredible’ defence and the brilliant Emi Martinez keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 triumph over Manchester City.
To think, this was supposed to be the game which handed Aston Villa a harsh reminder of how much work still needed to be done in order to smash through the glass ceiling and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and co.
But as Unai Emery finally tasted victory over his old adversary – beating Pep Guardiola at the 15th time of asking – there was only one team who looked like contenders for the throne on Wednesday night.
And it wasn’t City.
Pep Guardiola says Aston Villa are title contenders
Villa’s 22 shots was the most a Guardiola team has ever faced. City, in contrast, managed only two attempts themselves, and none after the 11th minute. Uncharted territory for a treble-winning team made to look like lower-league minnows by the intensity and the resplendence of an Aston Villa side celebrating 14 straight home wins for the first time in nearly 100 years.
Villa are now above Man City in the table, and only three points off the top.
And, as far as Guardiola is concerned, there is no reason why the Midland giants cannot be considered genuine title contenders at present, particularly with an ‘incredible’ backline of Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Diego Carlos and Lucas Digne providing a rock-solid foundation for Leon Bailey, Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and co.
“Definitely,” Guardiola tells the Man City website. “For the way they are playing, when you see the physicality, the tempo, the speed, the bench, the organisation from Unai, the set-pieces, the mid-block…
“How incredible they defend, (with) the back four, (and) a good keeper.”
Manchester City outclassed
Emi Martinez, Villa’s World Cup-winning Argentina international, only had two saves to make against City but still played his part. Martinez pulled off one superb stop to deny the usually irrepressible Erling Haaland shortly after kick-off, while his adhesive-laden hands stopped many a City attack in it’s tracks.
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