February can be capped off with possible player and manager of the month awards for Manchester City.
What a turnaround for Manchester City in February! No losses, moving on in the FA Cup, doing well in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage — things are looking up.
Chelsea might be out of reach, but UCL qualification and other trophies are not.
Speaking of hardware, Pep Guardiola, Gabriel Jesus and David Silva are all up for Premier League best in the month of February honors, the Manchester Evening News reports.
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MEN also notes Jesus’ inclusion in player of the month nominees is especially noteworthy given that he hasn’t played for half a month due to a broken metatarsal. His nomination just shows the sort of impact he’s had both on City and the EPL already.
Guardiola deserves a lot of credit too. He showed guts giving Jesus a chance to shine in the place of City legend Sergio Aguero. That decisions might have unfortunate consequences like Aguero leaving next summer. But right now, it looks like a stroke of genius.
Also due Guardiola is praise for orchestrating the resurgence City is enjoying. The squad hasn’t played this well since the beginning of the season when the Blues won 10 matches straight. They haven’t lost in February. The defense might still be broken until Guardiola can make purchases in the next transfer window, but the team looks inspired for the first time in awhile.
And lastly, Silva has been at the heart of City’s renaissance. A goalscorer in the replay against Huddersfield Town, Silva’s form warrants recognition as well.
Next: Combined Best XI: Sunderland vs. Manchester City
MEN lists Hull City’s Eldin Jakupovic, West Bromwich Albion’s Gareth McAuley, Spurs’ Harry Kane and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku as the other nominees for player of the month.
Other than Guardiola, Chelsea’s Antonio Conte, Tony Pulis of West Brom and the devil himself, Jose Mourinho of Manchester United can snag the manager of the month accolade for February.
Let’s hope City wins bigly.