Miron Muslic was announced as the Argyle Head Coach on the eve of the Pilgrims’ first Emirates FA Cup game of the season. He cannot have known was to transpire.
The following day, he watched his new charges unexpectedly turn over Brentford 1-0, and then a few weeks later presided over a similar scoreline which sent tremors around the football landscape as Premier League leaders Liverpool were knocked out by Muslic’s stoic Greens.
Those tremors would turn seismic should Argyle take a third Prem scalp on Saturday. Manchester City may not be the force they once were, but that is like saying that the Formula One car that you are trying to keep up with is only in seventh gear.
It is still Manchester City, winners of the top flight for six of the last seven seasons, including the last four; multi-time FA Cup winners; former Champions League winners; and equipped with one of the most decorated managers in football history in Señor Guardiola.
As Muslic prepares to outstep Pep like he topped Slot, the Argyle boss knows that the task at hand, for he and his players, is there to be enjoyed, revelled in, and not feared.
“I think it can't get any bigger,” he told Argyle TV. “Manchester City away, at the Etihad, supported by 8,000 of the Green Army. We're going to have a Green Wall over there, and that feels like a reward for [beating] Liverpool.
“It’s a reward for us – as staff, as players - for us as a club and organisation, but especially as a reward for the Green Army. They also truly deserve this game. Everything is for us to enjoy on Saturday night.”
There is a balance to be struck, of course. While the weekend jaunt to the Etihad should be enjoyable and memorable, it is not season-defining. A game three nights later, at Hull City, could well go a long way to determining the fate of two clubs scrapping for Sky Bet Championship survival.
Crucially, when Argyle ousted Liverpool, they followed up their exertions with a 5-1 win over Millwall in the subsequent midweek. Muslic is hoping for a similar outcome from this City double-header.
Of the Manchester portion, Miron said: “The challenge cannot get bigger; don't get me wrong, I think it's the most dominating team in the last seven or eight years. [We are] facing the best coach in the history of football - and I'm not even exaggerating.
“We spoke a lot about enjoying defending against Liverpool, but you need to give the lads the structure, so they have a chance to defend. I think we will need another very, very good defensive structure so we have a chance to defend. Then there will be moments for us where we can regain the ball, steal the ball and find some threat in the transition.
“It’s City at home, very dominant in possession. They will keep attacking us centrally, left and right. We just have to find the right answers to this - and we should not be afraid. It’s a day for us to enjoy. We have, like Liverpool, everything to win and almost nothing to lose. I want our team to be brave and I want our team to enjoy it.
“[Beating] Liverpool gave us the confidence boost to face the next challenge three days later, Millwall, and I think the lads did it outstanding.
“It's up to us to find this balance again, so we can enjoy Manchester City. We can go fully; we can represent Argyle again, [in the] best possible [way]. We can give the Green Army something they can be proud of – but again finding a good balance so we can face two nights later against Hull City and try to win this game.”
