Manuel Pellegrini Undisturbed With Arsenal Defeat; Says He Has 63 Points To

Wilfried Bony has slammed Manuel Pellegrini for failing to start him in Manchester City’s defeat at Premier League title rivals Arsenal.

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez has been ruled out until mid-January after suffering a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

The Germany defender said: ‘He is vital for us, especially when we play deep [as we did against City].

City’s last away win in the Premier League their 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace, but the manager said he isn’t bothered as there are 63 more points to fight for in their 21 remaining games in the season.

“When they came back to 2-1 we were a bit under pressure but I believe it was very intense for both teams”.

First-half goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud proved enough for Arsene Wenger’s side at the Emirates Stadium, despite Yaya Toure’s superb late strike for the visitors.

“It is going to be hard and we need to stay concentrated, the Christmas period is the most important now and we are sliding into it and it is up to us to keep that consistency”.

However, Pellegrini countered: “I don’t know about statistics, but of course we are not out of the title race”. Teams are better organised, better prepared physical, in the last 20 minutes.

“At the end of the day you need one guy who gives the ball to the one who scores the goal”, Wenger told his postgame press conference.

But the France worldwide said they have quality in their ranks and many games are left to be played to turn it around.

When Petr Cech palmed another De Bruyne effort around the post on 23 minutes, it seemed only a matter of time before City would take the lead. I believe he’s developed his physical attributes and commitment. He plays to win the game. “This kind of talent is exceptional and he realises he can help us in every game”. “If Arsenal can show composure and patience, they have the talent and pace to finish top”. I think he’s very interesting because of his management style and all that.