FanView: Pep Guardiola & Man City Will Fear Facing Everton This Weekend Ahead of Title Procession
Pep Guardiola has had a much more leisurely season at Manchester City this term compared to his maiden campaign in charge at the Etihad.
The Citizens could have the Premier League title wrapped up in the next fortnight if they manage to win this weekend's clash against Everton and then bitter city rivals Manchester United seven days later.
A perfect way to cap his second season at the helm, then, for Guardiola in what would be a surefire indicator that he is a top class coach having won league crowns in three separate countries.
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The Spaniard, though, should take note that Everton have a recent record over his team that won't exactly ensure that they'll roll over for the would-be champions at Goodison Park on Saturday evening.
Indeed, the Blues are the only club that haven't lost to Guardiola's free-flowing attacking side in three attempts.
It's something of a remarkable statistic when you consider that City have swept aside all competitors this season, and even more so when you look at how Everton's lofty ambitions have made way for trying to sneak a last-gasp Europa League qualification spot via the league standings.
And yet it is Sam Allardyce's men who could stretch their unbeaten run over City to a whopping four games - a feat that no other team could match during the past couple of seasons.
Credible 1-1 draws on City's stomping ground in September 2016 and last August - albeit against the 10 men of Guardiola in the latter - and a resounding 4-0 victory on Merseyside in January 2017 have ensured that Everton cannot be matched in terms of holding City in a metaphorical headlock.
Of course, those results were under the guidance of former boss Ronald Koeman who, having mentored Guardiola at Barcelona when he first emerged from the academy all those years ago, showed that the world-class gaffer still had things to learn despite all of the accolades and medals.
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Everton under Allardyce will be an altogether different proposition for Guardiola but the 45-year-old and his charges will fancy their chances of picking up a huge three points.
The Toffees, meanwhile, will want to extend their run under the 63-year-old on home soil to just one defeat suffered in nine and, with it, bragging rights in terms of having not lost to this all-conquering City side at all this season.
It's an added spark to an otherwise tasty looking bout in L4 come this weekend and, while Evertonians will have wished for a better season than that which they've suffered in 2017/18, the small feat of remaining undefeated over the seeming league winners will be decent record to have.
