Manchester City supporters have been in fine voice in the Transfer Tavern this week after seeing their side come through another huge test of character against West Ham on Sunday to maintain their eight-point lead at the summit of the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s men were tipped by many to go on and win the title this term, and they have certainly lived up to expectations so far by winning 14 of their opening 15 league matches, although their most recent three have made them sweat. The Citizens edged past both Huddersfield Town and Southampton 2-1 in their preceding encounters thanks to late goals from Raheem Sterling, and they were once again pushed to the limit by David Moyes’ Hammers on Sunday, with second half goals from Nicolas Otamendi and David Silva completing the turnaround for the hosts after falling behind to Angelo Ogbonna’s first half header.
And that saw Guardiola’s side maintain their eight-point lead over neighbours Manchester United in the Premier League table ahead of this Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford, yet a recent report from The Daily Mail suggests that City may well have suffered a significant blow ahead of the clash.
And that’s because boss Guardiola has confirmed in his pre-Shakhtar Donetsk press conference that midfielder Silva is doubtful for the trip to Jose Mourinho’s men with injury.
The Spain international has been hugely integral to the Citizens’ incredible start to the campaign, bagging two goals and laying on an impressive ten assists in just 19 appearances in all competitions, and striking up a formidable partnership with Kevin De Bruyne just behind the front men.
However, the 31-year-old is facing a race to be fit for Sunday’s clash against United, with Guardiola saying: ‘David had problems in the last minutes, we made a test after the game.
‘I don’t know if he’ll be able to play Sunday. He stayed to recover in Manchester. The others are all here.’
And these comments are unlikely to thrill our resident City fans, what with Silva proving to be a vital and indispensable member of the team so far this term, and thus would be a huge loss were he be unable to play against Mourinho’s side this weekend.
Landlord’s verdict: David Silva has been one of many Manchester City players who have started the season incredibly well, having bagged two goals and laid on ten assists in just 19 games for the Citizens so far.
However, the Spaniard appears to be in a race to be fit for Sunday’s huge showdown with neighbours Manchester United at Old Trafford, as manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that he is struggling with an injury he felt in the latter stages of their win over West Ham last time out.
And this is sure to come as a massive blow to City fans up and down the country, who have seen Silva’s brilliance in abundance so far this term, which has contributed to their sparkling run of form.
However, the 31-year-old does have a few days to recover from the injury, so it remains to be seen whether he can indeed take to the Old Trafford turf on Sunday.
Manchester City fans… what do you make of the news? Let us know!
