Neither Erling Haaland nor Kevin de Bruyne nor Bernardo Silva nor Phil Foden nor anyone else is on a recognizable individual level in the Manchester Cityalso very far from feeling good as a team, but even so I can be reborn with a close victory as a visitor against the Leicester (0-2), with which he bordered on another disappointment, while rebuilding his performance.
In Guardiola’s 500th game with Citywith 355 victories. He arrived in 2016, won 18 titles -more than anyone in the history of the entity-, achieved four ‘Premiers’ in four consecutive campaigns -unmatched in that competition for everyone-, has the record for points in that tournament, with 100 out of 114 In 2017-18, he won the Champions League, he has a contract until 2027… But his present exposes him to an unknown situation. Unthinkable.
Until their visit to Leicester this Sunday, even despite the victory, the crisis of one of the most powerful teams in Europe is exclamatory. Before this Saturday, their records traced their moment: a victory in their last thirteen games, a victory in the nine most recent rounds of the ‘Premier, five consecutive games without winning as a visitor and four consecutive games without a goal. Erling Haalandwho had only scored one goal among the seven closest matches, until 0-2.
I needed to win at King Power Stadium. And he did it. It is the only thing, the score, that reveals any sign of Manchester City’s reaction: they conceded too much in their defense, again; Not only was he not as superior as he always used to be, with possessions and chances that overwhelmed the opponent in the past, but he was not even really superior in the game to his opponent, and he started with ball handling that was around 85 percent and which, just half an hour later, had been reduced to 53 percent. Descriptive. He finished lower: 45 percent.
His past version is a blurry, melancholic link today, no matter how much his squad of eleven footballers that he lined up included Savinho, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Foden or Haaland. Rodrigo is not there, whom he misses, especially because of how he handled every rejection, every second play, every counterattack that the opponent proposed… Everything that happened, in short.
Every transition of Leicester, with the Argentine Facundo Goodnight It created doubts. There is no control at City, which allows a back and forth that was previously inconceivable. It is true that Haaland was the first to finish in the game, with one of these shots inside the area that previously were a goal or a goal on either of the Norwegian striker’s feet, and that marked the quick 0-1, in the 21st minute, when I was already suffering from problems: Foden unleashed a left footed shot, Stolarczyk did not catch it and Savinho finished off the goal.
Before and after, against the penultimate team in the standings, City was supported by their goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. It was his figure. Gvardiol, disastrous in a few options, gave Vardy the first chance, still at 0-0. The goalkeeper looked decisive. He needed more saves from his goalkeeper also at 0-1, relieved, at the same time, when a header from Buonanotte, among the celestial defensive chaos, was only repelled by the post.
Bilal El Khanouss’ dribbles or the pass with which he activated Buonanotte to demand a penalty that neither the referee, Michael Oliver, nor the VAR understood as such, portrayed the state of City, which did not press well at all, came out with the ball with an inappropriate and inappropriate slowness and fear, lacked the ambition of another time and settled for little, with a single goal in favor, sustaining the partial victory and the passing of the minutes. Until 0-2.
Locked in at times in his area, with Akanji saving the 1-1 on the line, it was enough for him to overcome Leicester, who really were better than City. He always proposed more, perhaps also due to the outcome of the result from the 21st minute. He did not score the miraculous equalizer, through Vardy. The relief was Erling Haaland’s 0-2. A headshot. The center was from Savinho. The way to disguise an encounter that should warn you more than convince you. The current Premier League champion remains on alert.
Because, like this, City will not be able to face bigger challenges.. Almost for nothing. This version does not seem enough for the next visit to Paris Saint Germain with a pass to the Champions League qualifiers at stake, much less to compete even for the podium of the Premier League classification. The title seems like an impossible matter.. His crisis is still evident. It was also Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s fourth straight defeat as Leicester manager.
With agency information