Ahead of their final game of the year, Manchester City find themselves in a very difficult situation after successive defeats at the hands of Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
It was a nightmare for Pep Guardiola as he watched the hosts take all three points from the fixture in a comfortable fashion.
Bernardo Silva opened the scoring in the 14th minute before Marc Albrighton levelled the scores five minutes later. Ricardo Pereira scored a stunner in the 81st minute and it proved to be the winner on the night. Fabian Delph was sent off in the death to pretty much sum up City’s night.
We take a look at some of the talking points.
PROBLEMS MORE SERIOUS THAN THEY APPEAR
Marc Albrighton celebrates
Leicester City could have been up by three goals at half-time had Jamie Vardy and James Maddison converted their chances. Despite conceding just 15 goals this season, the defending champions are showing vulnerability at the back.
In the defeat against Crystal Palace, defensive mistakes by Kyle Walker led to two of the three goals which were scored. Danilo was tested at right-back against Leicester City, but he failed to make a case for himself. The backline found it hard to break the press at times and looked extremely shaky and deprived of confidence.
For the first goal, Danilo was questionably high up the pitch and Delph made a mess of his positioning, allowing Albrighton massive space at point-blank.
A few minutes later, Vardy had a great chance to give the hosts a deserved lead but a combination of Ederson and Lady luck ensured parity.
A WELL-OILED MACHINE, BUT WITH A BLUNT FINISH
Raheem Sterling failed to pull the trigger at the right time
Yes, City are controlling games and dominating possession. Yes, Guradiola has some of the best forwards in the league at his disposal. Yes, the forwards are clinical and rarely out of form. However, City have not shown teeth in the final third for the last four games now and this one was no different.
The visitors did almost everything right until they entered the final third but failed to produce anything threatening thereafter. It’s true Guardiola is an advocate of playing it untill the last pass before finally nudging the ball into the net. More often than not, City overdid this and struggled to really threaten Kasper Schmeichel.
Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling were handed plenty of opportunities but they never really pulled the trigger at the right time. This lack of lucidity in front of goal provided the opposition with plenty of time to get players behind and guard the six-yard box. Hence, the visitors were wasteful on the counter too.
Also, the fact that most of City’s chances came from crosses into the box towards Sergio Aguero and Sane – who are not the tallest on the pitch – is something Guardiola must examine before the all-important clash with Liverpool next weekend.
FRENKIE DE JONG – NEED OF THE HOUR
Frenkie de Jong.
Between a fragile backline and a toothless frontline lies a less faulty midfield. Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva are doing well. Bernardo Silva has justified his status as an undisputed starter too. The fault seems to lie at the base position. At the age of 33, Fernandinho is still City’s linchpin, an irreplaceable chunk in their midfield.
Ilkay Gundogan has been filling in for the Brazilian but has barely done half a decent job. The hosts found it incredibly easy to glide past City’s midfield, with no Fernandinho to throw in those tactical fouls.
The Brazilian makes it hard for the opponents to transition and plays a crucial role in screening the fragile defence, something Gundogan has failed to produce. There is one player who could execute this role of distributing play across the pitch and screening the defence while out of possession, Frenkie de Jong.
The Dutchman has displayed these traits for the national team and Ajax consistently and has popped up as the need of the hour for the defending champions. Guardiola must definitely consider pushing for a transfer as soon as possible.
