Manchester City thrashed Huddersfield 10-1 the last time they beat them in the league at home. This time it was more of a tennis score than cricket score but in truth, Pep Guardiola’s men were playing a different ball game to the Terriers on Sunday.
Sergio Aguero opened the scoring by latching on to Ederson’s laser-precise long ball and lifting the ball delightfully over Ben Hamer. Gabriel Jesus added a low strike soon after and the predatory Aguero then pounced on a Hamer error.
Jon Stankovic replied before half-time but the rout continued, David Silva’s sumptuous free-kick – surprisingly his first for City – re-setting the tone before Aguero brought up his hat-trick via Benjamin Mendy’s flick-on. A Terence Kongolo own goal did not flatter the hosts.
DAVID’S EXAGGERATED DEMISE
Late last season, one prominent British newspaper predicted that David Silva’s City career ‘would start to wind down’ when Pep Guardiola alluded to the fact that Spaniard may not play every game in 2018/19. If this performance was the precursor to a decline, then he has hoodwinked us all.
At 32 years of age, and with a physique that is not quite cut from granite, he will of course be used more sparingly. Not to merely protect an aging veteran – rather so he will remain in mint condition for the biggest games.
Guardiola will have grimaced when Silva rolled his shoulder in discomfort and promptly took him off in the 63rd minute. His job was done, for the preceding 62 had been conducted so artfully by one of the inaugural City legends of this new era.
He completed nearly 95 per cent of his passes – a mixture of raking, whipped and tiki-taka – and created six chances, the joint-most of any player through two Premier League rounds. Bear in mind he condensed his efforts into an hour.
Then there was the free-kick, and it is not hyperbolic to write that there was an air of Lionel Messi about a left-footed strike that whirled over the wall and out of Ben Hamer’s reach.
Another great from the Barcelona pantheon comes to mind in Silva’s autumnal years, however – Andres Iniesta. He aged gracefully too, though slightly wilted towards the end of last season as more than 800 career games caught up to him.
Iniesta hung on to playing for Spain until this summer’s World Cup before departing to Vissel Kobe but Silva, two years his junior, has cut his international ties sooner in his career. There’s every chance that will prolong his magic.
Huddersfield were unforgivably meek at Etihad Stadium, yet players such as Silva tear strips with relish from defences that sit so deep. The TV director cutaway to Kevin De Bruyne and his poorly knee numerous times, but why panic? He’ll be back to give Silva some early, and most likely well-deserved, winter relief.
BEND IT LIKE MENDY
Guardiola’s decision to deploy Bernardo Silva at right wing-back at the expense of Kyle Walker was the subject of pre-game chatter.
But he rightfully deduced that Huddersfield would sit so deeply, meaning that fielding as many close-control playmakers would be the key to success.
On the other side, though, the plan was so simple in its execution – give the ball to Mendy and let him cross the ball. The France full-back, whose debut season was ruined by a cruciate ligament injury, delivered a staggering 12 crosses. That’s more than Huddersfield managed in the entire match.
The 24-year-old infuriates as much as impresses. Guardiola playfully admitted that sometimes he wants to ‘kill him’ and his social media activities, while generally amusing, are an unwanted sideshow for his boss to deal with.
What he does bring though is an extra dimension to City’s attack – as if they needed any more. Walker is very good but not the skilled dribbler that Mendy is, nor the crosser, though his conversion rate needs a little work (of the 29 crosses Mendy delivered in the EPL before was injured last year, only eight turned into chances).
Whatever the statistics say, it’s quite a difference from plugging in a makeshift Fabian Delph on the left. It’s a hackneyed sentiment – but Mendy truly is like a new signing, and could prove the most significant of ‘additions’ out of any made by Premier League contenders this term.
