After recuperating and recuperating, all the staff went out, and Manchester City hit the fourth consecutive championship
2023 has passed, and 2024 is on its way.
The second half of the 2023/24 Premier League season will be followed by a short break in which the Premier League powerhouses will make a final push towards their respective goals.
This is the second winter break in the history of the Premier League.
In the 2020/21 season, the Premier League finally set up a winter break in response to public opinion under pressure from many parties, so that players who still played the field during Christmas and New Year could finally get a chance to recuperate, but then the 2021/22 season was canceled due to the epidemic and the 2022/23 season due to the World Cup. This season, the Premier League has finally returned after a three-year hiatus, giving the team and players a chance to relax and adjust.
However, the winter break of the Premier League is an operation of staggered vacation. As the world's No. 1 league, the Premier League naturally has to maximize its benefits. During the winter break, the Premier League giants will have about 15 days to recuperate, but that doesn't mean there won't be games in between.
In addition to arranging the FA Cup round 3 and League Cup semi-finals, the Premier League has also creatively arranged the 10 matches in the 21st round over two weekends – five games per weekend.
This arrangement not only ensures that fans still have a game to watch every weekend, but also allows the players to get a long-awaited break in the middle of the season, and continues to maintain the heat of the Premier League, killing three birds with one stone, which is really perfect. When it comes to each team, the length of the break varies.
After the leaders Liverpool eliminated Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup, they also had to prepare for the Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham, which invisibly missed three days of rest, and Liverpool only had 11 days to rest during the winter break.
The same goes for Chelsea, who are even one day less than Liverpool, with only 10 days.
It remains to be seen whether this delicate time gap will have an impact on the final outcome of the Premier League this season, but it is foreseeable that this winter break has inadvertently set a difference.
That's right, we're talking about the defending champions, Manchester City.
This winter break is undoubtedly a great benefit for Manchester City, which has been plagued by injuries this season and has been in an up-and-down state. In the third round of the FA Cup, Manchester City defeated Huddersfield without blood, and there were no surprises in the victory or defeat, but the fear and shock brought to the Premier League powers are self-evident.
Because, the true nucleus of Manchester City's attack, is back.
Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench in the second half, and in addition to the cheers of the entire Etihad, he also brought a long-lost silky feel. With the midfield maestro in charge, Manchester City is the real Manchester City, and it has a new look. Those spaces that could not be seen have run out, and the routines that cannot be designed are presented one after another......
Doku's goal brought City to a successful close, but all the focus was on Kevin De Bruyne, who sent him a distracted shot – the bottom line after the edge was knocked back with just the right timing, power and accuracy......
De Bruyne's return is equivalent to Manchester City's "free signing" of top midfielders this season. Haaland and Doku recovered from injury, and the 17-day rest period gave Stones, Akanji, and Ake enough time to recover, as well as time for Rodri, Diaz, Walker and other main players to rest, and Guardiola to improve the lineup and adjust tactics.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City team has become accustomed to the second half of the season, regardless of whether the current ranking is a so-called script as fans say, Manchester City is obviously ready to go.
More importantly, Manchester City does not have to be affected by the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup, and they are all in need of attacking and just waiting to steal points.