Manchester City primed to 'slip up' in clash vs. Everton | Pro Soccer Talk | NBC Sports

Switching gears now and focusing on another big game in the Premier League this weekend, Everton against Manchester City. Nick, potential for City to slip up in the title race here because they're one point clear with a game in hand heading into this weekend, but this trip to Everton, which has always been tough for City over the years, is sandwiched in between those Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid. So is this too basic to say, oh, that City might take their eye off the ball here because obviously they want to win the Premier League, but I think we're going to find out a lot about priorities, right, from Pep Guardiola and what he really wants to focus on down the stretch here. Yeah, to me, it's about meeting the moment in terms of intensity. I don't think that there's any question that City can look at what they did at midweek and think, oh, you know, we deserve better than that. We were literally playing one of the only teams in the world that can match up with us in Real Madrid. Now we go to Everton. As long as they can keep that title focus, and as I mentioned earlier in the show, I believe that this is a Man City team that has renewed its inspiration because it wasn't the new shiny toy all year. Everybody was talking about Arsenal and Man City probably would have been pointing at the table and being like, yeah, but match is in hand and we've won the last two and we're right here, guys. You know, hey, it's us, Man City. And I think that that has instilled in them, you know, maybe some of that hunger that might've eluded them and made them to focus on the Champions League. So provided that that's true, I really think the only real hope for the slip up here would be as if you believe the Man City performance against Real Madrid was the start of a little dip in form because we see that. We saw it with Arsenal. Usually when teams regress, it's for a week, it's for a week and a half. It's not just for a game. So I guess it depends how you judge that midweek and I judge it as pretty good. Yeah, I thought they were excellent for the most part, apart from a sort of spell. What, first 20 minutes or so of the second half and Real were on top and employed by going ahead. So I think City will be a bit annoyed they didn't make the most of their chances in front of goal away at Real Madrid. So that might be a little bit just nagging at the back of Pep Guardiola's mind. I mean, do you think he's gonna rotate a lot because we've seen it in some other games recently, right? I think West Ham, the win at home, they rotated heavily. And again, it's about weighing up where the priorities lie, right? I feel like we're gonna find out a lot when we see the team news drop on Sunday at Goodison Park about where City's main priority is. Well, I think we already know it's the Champions League, but it's difficult, isn't it, to think about one over the other at this point, that you're right down to the end of the season in the Premier League and you're top. And I don't know if I would rotate if I'm Pep Guardiola, but I'm not and he's done this before, but what would you do if you were him? Would you rotate heavily at Everton this weekend or do you think that's too big of a risk? Well, I would and I'll tell you why. Who was your favorite substitute in that game between Real Madrid and Man City? There were some good ones. There were. I look at Alvarez and Foden and guys he could have chosen, Mahrez, even Phillips or Laporte or Rico Lewis who we've had seen magnificent, and they're all gonna be rested and ready here. So my thought is that you're gonna see heavy rotation because of the minutes that they put on their legs. And the idea to stay fresh, I mean, you'll still see Haaland, you'll see some of the younger guys, but I think De Bruyne and Gundogan, maybe they both get rested, but Grealish gets his run out there. And I think they will be fine in terms of quality. Again, it's just gonna come down to that intensity. Yeah, they didn't make a sub away at Real Madrid, so that would suggest to me that the likes of Alvarez, Mahrez, Foden, Rico Lewis, and Laporte probably are all gonna come in. So it's a little bit risky, but if there's any team that can do it and do it seamlessly, I think it's Man City if they rotate those four or five players in and just keep, you know, De Bruyne, give him 60 minutes, give Haaland 60 minutes, that kind of thing. But they should not underestimate Everton, nor will they, but especially after that big win away at Brighton last weekend, I mean, smashed them 5-1. Dwight McNeil, Decoray were excellent breaking from midfield, some great finishes. And then Calvert-Lewin as well, the focal point looked really good, and you're gonna see how much Everton have missed him through injury this season. So we're big on Sean Dice on this show. Do you think that that's pretty much job done for Everton? Or it looks like they need at least another four points probably to secure it, but the way they're playing right now, I mean, they could easily get a point this weekend and then grab a win in a couple final games, but it was a big, big win for them at Brighton for confidence, wasn't it? Yeah, absolutely huge. And you could tell, you know, kind of what it meant to them when the team is, and what I said, it's a cliche when you always say, look what it means, right? Look what it means. It's something that gets passed around too much. But I thought the way that they responded, especially Decoray, who's been such a resurgent piece for them under Sean Dice, it was not just a team celebrating because they were at home and they made the fans happy. This is something they believed that was inside them. I feel like they felt like they had gotten the wrong rub of the green, the opposite of that. And there was a real sense in watching the celebrations and watching the spirit that this was a team feeling like, yeah, this is more of who we are. Yeah, maybe we're not a top four side, but certainly we should be hanging with Brighton and hanging with teams like that. So obviously they're not safe yet, but well on their way in terms of spirit and form. Yeah, after this game, they travel to Wolves and then a final day game at home against Bournemouth, who are pretty much safe and will be by that point. So not bad on the schedule, I think, for Everton for their remaining game. So that was a big, big win for them at Brighton. And then I think Sean Dice will do something quite special there over the next few years, giving some funds and build them up similarly to what he did at Burnley. And I wouldn't be surprised if we see Everton knocking around the top 10 next season if they do stay in the Premier League, as we think. What are our thoughts for this weekend then, prediction-wise? I'm gonna let you go first on this one, because I'm quite intrigued to see what you say about Everton against Man City. I'm gonna say three to nothing, Man City. I know that it has a lot written on it, that this could be close, but I look at even the Leeds game last week and how explosive that could have been. Again, the piece is nowhere to be on the field. Mahrez has kind of been the secret weapon to this team in every competition. He's up there in Champions League production. He's up there in Premier League production. When they put him in there, he just knows what to do when he gets the job done. He's kind of a sneaky Premier League legend. He is in the top 25 now for assists all time in the Premier League. I mean, think about that. He's been on our radar for quite some time, and he's been a champion at two clubs, and I look for him to have a big, big game this week. I'm gonna go for a draw. I think that I saw enough from Everton, not just last weekend, but recently. Solid at home, defensively. Just, they know what they're doing. They're set up well, and I think they're gonna frustrate City, and obviously City are great, but I do think they're gonna be so focused on Tuesday. Sorry, Wednesday against Real Madrid coming up in the second leg of that Champions League semi-final that I think they're gonna just make too many changes. I think Pep might rotate a little bit too much, and that's okay at this point in the season. It's difficult to juggle it all, but yeah, I see the title race being blown wide open again, and I think Everton are gonna nick a point at home, and that'll be great for them at the bottom in their scrap against relegation, but also be great for Arsenal, because I think it will open the door for them to regain top spot. So that's my big prediction this weekend. Everton one, Man City one. Let's see what happens, and make sure you head over to Pro Soccer Talk on nbcsports.com for how to watch info, preview team news, live analysis and reaction, and of course, video highlights as well on a big game at both ends of the Premier League table. Hi there, I'm Rebecca Lowe, studio host for NBC's coverage of the Premier League. Don't forget to hit subscribe to watch more videos all season long for even more Premier League content from original series to live matches, head over to Peacock and be sure to tune in for Premier League mornings every weekend on USA Network and on Peacock. We will see you over there.