Present-day Man City proved the truth of one saying: when pigs stand in the eye of the storm, even they can fly.
After the team had smoothly made it through Christmas and the devilish Winter Break schedule, and after crushing AC Milan 4–0 at home, everyone at Man City was in high spirits. Each player was filled with anticipation for the future and confidence in the matches ahead.
That excellent mental state was reflected not only in the team's daily training, but also in its matches.
The FA Cup quarterfinal against Leicester City at home was one example.
Man City took the field with an entirely second-string lineup, while all the regular starters were rested. As a result, the substitutes exploded into action.
David Luiz opened the scoring, followed by a goal from Hazard. Džeko then scored twice, and Gareth Barry added the icing on the cake. In the end, Man City thrashed Leicester City 5–1 at home.
The substitutes' collective outburst not only showed Man City's formidable strength, but also the excellent form of its players.
When pigs stand in the eye of the storm, even they can fly.
That saying certainly made sense, but there was another one that came afterward: once the storm passed, it was the flying pigs that fell to their deaths.
Man City, however, did not fall to its death. Instead, it flew higher and higher.
All of this came from the team's overwhelming overall strength and the unity in the dressing room.
According to an analysis by The Times, Man City now possessed the strongest squad in European football. Even more frighteningly, they were still working to strengthen the team, for example by signing Paul Pogba this summer and recalling De Bruyne from Belgium.
Those two young prodigies would greatly enhance Man City's