Ahead of tonight's clash with Sunderland, midfielder warns league leaders Chelsea that his side have the know-how and experience to overhaul their three-point lead
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri. Pic/Getty Images.
Manchester: Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has warned rivals Chelsea that his side have the experience to chase them down in the race for the Premier League title.
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri. Pic/Getty Images.
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Manuel Pellegrini’s City trail Jose Mourinho’s league leaders by three points as they prepare to host mid-table Sunderland on New Year’s Day today. City won the title last season despite having trailed both Arsenal and Liverpool for long periods during the campaign and Nasri believes that knowhow gives City an advantage in the current title race.
“Everyone is stronger,” he said. “We get older, we get more mature and stronger mentally. You learn to deal with different situations. “At this club we’ve been through all the different situations. We know how to deal with the pressure. We know we are good at being second and chasing someone. We’ve done it before. We know how to deal with every situation and we are ready for it.”
City spurned a good opportunity to cut Chelsea’s lead to one point on Sunday when they squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with struggling Burnley after the London club were held to a 1-1 draw at Southampton. It also meant Pellegrini’s men missed out on the chance to register a club-record 10th successive victory, but Nasri says the main focus now is on adding to their points total.
Chance spurned
“We’re frustrated,” he said. “We were aware of the Chelsea result and it was a great chance for us to be just one point behind. Nobody talks about that record of 10 consecutive wins. That doesn’t matter. The most important thing was to finish the year at home with a win, with 45 points from the first half (of the season). “That would have been a good thing, but we didn’t do it. All we want to do is win. We couldn’t do that, so let’s be focused for Sunderland.”
Live tonight:
. Stoke City vs Man United: Star Sports 4, 18:15
. Man City vs Sunderland: Star Sports 4, 20:30
. Liverpool vs Leicester City: Star Sports 1, 20:30
. Southampton vs Arsenal: Star Sports 2, 20:30
. Tottenham vs Chelsea: Star Sports 4, 20:30
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