Manchester City have been warned they may ultimately fold under the huge pressure of chasing an historic treble.
Pep Guardiola's side remain on course to match local rivals Manchester United by winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the same season. City took a step closer to that Holy Grail with a battling 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
A majestic second-half strike from Kevin De Bruyne salvaged a draw for Guardiola's men and has given them every chance of making the final in next week's return leg at the Etihad Stadium. But with Arsenal refusing to go away in the title race, Guardiola will have little option to rest key players for Sunday's trip to Everton, three days before the decisive return leg against Real.
In contrast, with Real out of the LaLiga title race, they can focus all their attention on the return leg at City next Wednesday and rest players for Saturday's visit of Getafe to the Bernabeu.
Real defender Dani Carvajal also suggested City could come unstuck given they are chasing glory on three fronts, claiming the pressure and volume of games could be too much for them. “We did a good job,” said Carvajal, who was in the spotlight for his dark arts against Jack Grealish. “Above all, we were able to contain Erling Haaland who was in very good form.
“Now we have to rest. We have a week, although there is the Getafe game in between. But with them still having the league to play for, maybe they will notice the weight of games more.
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“I'd like it to be like last year, when the three second legs we played in the knockout stage were all at home. But we will go there with nothing to fear. We have to go there to win, to play our game, and the team believes in it.”
When United completed the Treble in the space of 10 days in 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson said his players thrived on the fact every game became a final and a must-win for them in the pursuit of history.
United clinched the league with victory over Tottenham on the final day of the season, beat Newcastle in the FA Cup final six days later, then completed the Treble with their dramatic late smash and grab win over Bayern Munich in the Nou Camp.
So far, City have shown the same appetite to achieve the feat and match their local rivals. They are unbeaten in their last 21 matches in all competitions and have won every game at home this year, scoring 49 goals and conceding just seven in 14 fixtures.
City's £100million winger Grealish pointed to the spirit and togetherness within Guardiola's squad as a key factor in their quest to lift all three trophies this season.
“You're looking around, playing with these guys who are unbelievable,” said Grealish. “The fans are brilliant, every home and away game. I'm sure we'll need them at Goodison Park at the weekend and, of course, at the Etihad next Wednesday, which we're all buzzing for already.”
