"Keep playing like that and we will chase Manchester United down!” Manchester City midfielder Javi Garcia sounded that warning to their red title rivals after the Blues bounced back from their derby defeat with a 3-1 win at Newcastle.
And the Spaniard geared up for the loss of key man Yaya Toure next month by scoring a goal and putting in his best display since joining the Blues in the summer.
City’s response to last week’s defeat was an outstanding first half at St James’ Park, packed with fast, inventive football reminiscent o thef first half of last season.
And after Newcastle pulled it back to 2-1 and pressed for an equaliser, the Blues also showed their character in defending the lead, especially with influential skipper Vincent Kompany absent through injury.
It was undoubtedly the best football City have played this season and Garcia said it bodes well for the future.
“I don’t know if it’s the best half but we definitely played very well,” said the ex-Benfica man, who headed in David Silva’s corner to make it 2-0 six minutes before half-time.
“If we maintain those standards I think we can chase down Manchester United. If we play as well as that, we are going to be very difficult to stop and, if we continue to have that attitude, we’ll be very hard to beat.”
The two Manchester teams opened a seven-point gap on third-placed Chelsea, who were in World Club Championship action in Japan on Sunday.
That has led many to believe this season’s title race will be another all-Mancunian affair, with the Blues and Reds slugging it out until May.
Garcia said it is too early to rule out Rafa Benitez’s team or the handful of clubs below them.
“I don’t agree that only United can stop us winning it,” he said. “The good thing about the Premier League is that anyone can pull off a surprise.
“There are other teams who can push up the table and challenge for the title. But if we finish above United I think we will win the league.
“It’s still very early, there are still a lot of games left to play so it is too soon to just say it is only the two of us. Chelsea are not far away.”
Garcia, as well as scoring the important second goal, dug in well to repel the Toon assault after the break, stiffening the defence and refusing to let his head go down after giving the ball away cheaply at one point.
And he admitted the goal had been a big boost after a difficult time since he returned from injury, even though Newcastle’s Davide Santon made a hash of trying to block it on the line.
“I feel very well now and I think I needed this kind of thing to happen, to score this type of goal, to lift my own confidence,” he said.
“I played well, I was very happy. It was the perfect header and in the perfect place. I didn’t even see the defender there on the line, I had turned away, I just heard the City fans cheering and I immediately ran off to celebrate.”
That was the cushion the Blues needed after their dazzling first-half football had brought just one Sergio Aguero goal, especially as the home side fought back well after the interval.
Garcia added: “To get a result like this is very hard, the team worked extremely hard, but we also played well and deserved to win.
“In the first half we could have been winning by four or five but in the second half we found it much tougher.
“We had to hold on but we overcame them in the end and made it 3-1.
“It was an important game after what happened against United. We had to show we could continue to have a winning mentality.
“It’s normal to be feeling down after a result like that but we had to lift our heads up.
“We had to continue to believe in ourselves and remain positive and I think we have shown that against Newcastle.”
Garcia also agreed with the common view that being out of the Champions League may just give City an edge in the Premier League championship race.
“Maybe it will help us. We have one big prize to go for, which is the league title,” he said.
“We have more time to work on the games in the Premier League – it gives more tranquillity to the players and means we can focus on the league.”
The spotlight will fall on Garcia when Yaya Toure goes to the African Nations Cup, straight after the FA Cup third round tie against Watford on January 5.
Although he is a different type of player, he is likely to be the man to fill the gap left by the big Ivorian, with Jack Rodwell suffering another injury setback.
Now he is mentally gearing up for the challenge of his first Christmas period in English football, with five games in a fortnight.
“It is a new situation for me to be playing so many games over Christmas but I am fortunate as my family are over here with me,” he said.
“I’m very happy. It’s a different experience and I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s a big challenge, of course, but we are in good condition and this result was exactly what we needed.”
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Source: ManchesterEveningNews
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