Things got worse when Zack Steffen’s unexplained mistake gave Sadio Mané a goal less than ten minutes later, and the American international could have done better with the Liverpool striker’s second goal – a volley just before the break. Second half goals from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva were not enough to complete the comeback and Manchester City fans will no doubt be wondering what it could have been if some of its key players had the opportunity to play. bigger role. See what we learned from the disappointing match in the foul of the English Cup …
Too little, too late
IMAGO / PA images If it had to be said, Pep Guardiola is the best coach of all time and the best thing that has happened to Manchester City other than the acquisition. I say this now to make up for the criticism that I will make quite thick in this article, because while it is unbelievable, it is not perfect. Today, one of the few recurring issues in his tenure has resurfaced, and includes replacements – especially the fact that they do not appear to exist. The fact that Pep Guardiola is an ardent supporter of the Premier League allowing five substitutions is like Elton John trying to buy a military tank: I can not imagine why he would want it and I doubt he will ever use it when it happens. There could not be a single Manchester City fan on this floating space rock who did not wonder at least why no one came off the bench until the 80th minute. There were some great players waiting to get on the pitch and none of them could have done much worse than the performance of the first half. Of course, the big irony is that the only substitute we used was the second goal. He just did it when there was not enough time to give us a decent shot in the equalizer. I sincerely believe that the presentation of Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne (or Ilkay Gundogan if the Belgian was not suitable enough) and Rodri after an hour would give us a great opportunity to save the game. It is a pity that Pep chose to give a point to his players instead of going for the result that the fans longed for.
Quality flashes are not enough
IMAGO / Uk Sports Pics Ltd Obviously, it would not be fair to imply that Manchester City played completely off the park against Liverpool. After a rather miserable first half, things came after the break. The first goal back, a few moments after half time, came from a very nice play by Gabriel Jesus and a clever finish by Jack Grealish. We have to hope that this is a sign of things to come, because even a primarily creative player like Grealish has to score if he is to retain a place in the top three of Manchester City. The goal in the delays also deserved applause, mainly due to the play of Riyad Mahrez. He found Bernardo Silva, who scored his 11th goal of the season. Unfortunately, the sixth big moment of the fight came when Jesus found himself one on one with Alisson. The Liverpool goalkeeper is excellent in such situations and got the best from our Brazilian … but Jesus who chose to try to shoot low did not help. One-on-one is definitely an area where almost the entire team could improve, with Kevin de Bruyne currently almost the only Manchester City player one would expect to eliminate one.
The team selection has a sense of tradition
IMAGO / Sportimage When I described it as an “expected defeat”, I meant that most of Manchester City fans could see how likely the game was to go from the moment the team was released. Going into a match against one of the best teams in the world without any of Kevin de Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Ederson, Rodri, Riyad Mahrez or Kyle Walker to start, would only end one way. Some would say that this was a necessary sacrifice to rest the players for the Premier League matches, but I personally felt that Pep Guardiola overdid the rotation. We have not had a striker in good form for goals, nor a midfielder who has been getting a lot of assists lately. The plan of the game was to hope that Liverpool would be out of order. Inevitably, this left many fans feeling that the game was not a priority for Pep – so can players who looked like they had already lost since the referee blew the whistle be blamed? Put it this way: can you imagine Jurgen Klopp going to a match against us without any of Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip, Alisson, Mohamed Salah, Thiago, Fabinho or Andy Robertson? I can not – whether they had just faced Atletico Madrid or not.
An English trio hung out to try
IMAGO / Focus images It is true that, yes, some extremists can be great attackers – but let’s be honest, most of them can not. And to be even more honest, all Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish seem to belong to the latter category. There is no shame in that. It is therefore frustrating to see the trinity used over and over again in positions that clearly do not produce the best possible result. Rahim Sterling is a brilliant winger, but if you were watching him for the first time today you would be wondering how he scored over 100 goals in the Premier League, and that is simply because he is being asked, for some unthinkable reason, to play a role that Do not let him play with any of his powers. Jack Grillis does not have the threat of a goal to become a Manchester City striker and would probably do better in midfield, while dribbling and Phil Fontaine’s rhythm make him an ideal candidate for the big positions where he excelled at the beginning of his career. – so why does it constantly stick centrally? The sudden abandonment of the role of striker Gabriel Jesούςs without apparently any resistance from Pep Guardiola was a real surprise and the failure to bring in Harry Kane last summer is still bothering him. It is difficult not to feel that our three English players are the ones who suffer unjustly for this.
Two City players who stand out – for very different reasons
IMAGO / PA images Zack Steffen had a disaster in a game today. I would be surprised if he played the worst match of his life. Scroll to continue While I would like to point out that he cost Manchester City very few goals so far, his mistake for the second goal that ended the game was unforgivably bad. It’s not Anderson (but again, who is?). The problem is that if you start eliminating backup goalkeepers every time one of them costs you a game, you end up with very few options. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the imposing appearance of Nathan Aké, who added the distinction that he had the most striking hair on the team, as he became one of the only center-backs I have ever seen to play very well and still have three. targets. He could not do anything for the second goal, for sure, but there were several key moments that the Dutch defender prevented Liverpool from adding to its accounts. It could be much worse today if not for his heroism. This is for the best, because I do not like the idea of sending five or six to Liverpool. In a fortnight there would be a statue of Jurgen Klopp outside Old Trafford. Oh, and the other Blues who stood out today for all the wrong reasons were the ones shouting and making fun while the stadium was trying to keep a minute’s silence for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Do not do that. Obviously. Follow City Xtra on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
