It seemed impossible.
The traditional late autumn crisis at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola turned out to be deeper than ever. For the first time under the leadership of the Spanish coach, the Citizens managed to lose four games in a row. In general, this happened to Manchester City for the first time since 2006. At that time, this team was still coached by Stuart Pearce. Remember this?
Of course, we are at a historic point. There have been different moments in Manchester City’s form under different managers, but almost no one would have expected it. After losing to Tottenham in the League Cup, Guardiola complained of tiredness and defeat. Then there was Bournemouth’s defeat in the English championship. And about the same words about the lack of physical strength to maintain the intense game proposed by the opponent. Then came the defeat at the hands of Sporting in the Champions League. And now the defeat against Brighton, who showed in the match that they can turn the situation around.
Recovery signals
In the first half it looked like Manchester City had come to life. Yes, it was evident that he acted like a person who had just recovered from a serious illness or even a cold. That is, he already seems healthy, but he is a little unstable, almost uncollected and in some places lacks concentration. But overall, this is already a recognizable character. And City were like that in the first half of the match against Brighton. He controlled the ball better and understood better what he was doing on the pitch.
And that put Manchester City ahead. Erling Haaland broke through the Brighton defense and opened the scoring midway through the first half. Subsequently, the “citizens” did not lose control, which suggested their confidence in themselves and their abilities. Before the break, City had nine shots to Brighton’s three. And five of them scored, while the hosts did not direct a single attempt towards Ederson’s goal. And the visitors had the ball two-thirds of the time. Everything speaks in favor of Guardiola’s men. Brighton were more patient. Although he had his approaches to the door of the “citizens”.
Transfiguration
In the second half, control of the situation gradually passed into Brighton’s hands. At the beginning, due to inertia, Manchester were better, moved the ball confidently and did everything to maintain the lead. But it really seemed like it was about maintaining a minimal lead. As if City didn’t want to do more, weren’t ready. It was as if the team itself was aware of its own tiredness and weariness. Therefore, I was waiting for the game to end as soon as possible. But Brighton, of course, could not agree.
It is important to work with substitutions for both coaches. It seems that Fabian Hürzeler conducted this work more decisively. However, this is understandable, because his team had a lower score. It is worth noting that all the changes of the hosts only strengthened and refreshed the game. Unless Jakub Moder’s appearance at the end in place of Kaoru Mitoma was meant to delay time.
The decisive factor was the presence of Joao Pedro and Matt O’Reilly. Not only did both immediately begin to put Manchester City’s defense to the test, but they also made key contributions to the success, scoring a goal each. Interestingly, when Brighton’s substitutions began, Pep Guardiola had made two of his changes. He released Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. The steps felt like an ultimatum. However, the Belgian is clearly not fit yet, and the Portuguese managed to wait for a couple of clever crosses which did not end in anything dangerous.
Guardiola took these actions when he felt the game was slipping away from his team. Brighton systematically took the initiative and increased the pressure on the enemy. You can see how nervous everyone in the City team was when Pedro equalized in the 78th minute. Holland was going crazy in the center circle and despondency reigned on the bench. It was as if the “citizens” understood that they could no longer inspire themselves and beat Brighton. The owners, on the contrary, took wings. Not at all, “seagulls”.
The second half has already ended with the statistic 7:6 in favor of Brighton. Furthermore, the hosts hit the target four times, while the “citizens” hit it only once. And it looked depressing. You could literally see how Manchester City’s strength diminishes more and more with every minute of the second half of the match.
It seems that Guardiola, more than anyone, should now enjoy the international break. There is time to rest, gain strength and regain shape. Without John Stones and Ruben Dias, City’s defense looked too fragile. Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were in the reserves, but they didn’t even show up as substitutes, apparently their conditions were very bad. We know that Guardiola can include players who are physically unable to take the pitch.
Without Jeremy Docou and Jack Grealish, City failed to shake up the game in attack, and the flanks were left to Savio and Mateus Nunes, who also looked exhausted and easy for the enemy to read. And most importantly, Rodri was sorely missing in the support zone. He could make up for shortcomings in defense and attack. Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan tried to cope without him. Sometimes it even worked well. But something was missing.
It’s too early to bury Manchester City. He will still come back to life and revive himself. Competitors will therefore have to create as large a reserve of points as possible, keeping in mind that in the second part of the season the “citizens” will be able to pull off a powerful winning move. That’s when the supply will come in handy for your opponents. And City regularly went through the autumn-winter crisis and regularly encouraged competitors in the fight for the championship. But then spring came and Manchester went ahead and crushed themselves.
