HEAT ON REDS
Thumping win over Villa sees champions keep pressure on Liverpool ahead of their clash with Spurs
WHAT more can be said about Raheem Sterling? That is the dilemma facing Pep Guardiola.
‘Every press conference I talk about Raheem!’ he said, seemingly exasperated. Yet, he broke into a smile and did his best nonetheless.
‘What I like the most about Raheem was one thing,’ he said. ‘After he scored three goals against Atalanta, made an assist and won a penalty, everybody speaks in the media and everywhere: ‘‘How good you are!’’
‘Normally the next game always you play a little bit like: “Ah! How good I am!’’ And it was the complete opposite. He played like Phil Foden, who played for 15 minutes as though it were the last 15 minutes of his life. That is our strength as a team in the last years together. Today, Raheem played all the minutes. I am so proud of him.’
Guardiola’s enthusiasm stems from more than the fact that Sterling is in an extraordinary run of form. ‘He’s pretty much unplayable at the moment,’ said Villa boss Dean Smith.
It is the authority he carries throughout this team. When Guardiola arrived in 2016, he was a fine player but not a leader. He existed on fringes, doing exceptional things but looking to others to bend the game to their will.
Now quite the reverse. In a team including some of the world’s best players, it is Sterling who often leads the way. Guardiola was reflecting on a first-half display that was some way short of City at their best.
‘I like to use this word aggressive when you have the ball,’ he said. ‘And the only player who was aggressive in the first half was Raheem. I think, in the second half, we imitate him, he show us the way how to play.
‘And it was much better. Be aggressive is the way you make a movement, how you make a buildup better, how you make a pass, how you attack, how you arrive to score a goal. Be aggressive with the ball. We were not aggressive in the first half.’
Since stepping up off the pitch this year to take a lead on racism issues and addressing us in the media as to our responsibilities, he has also thrived on the pitch. He looks a complete man. And his game is all the better for it.
City are now three points behind Liverpool. Of course, Liverpool play Tottenham today so can extend their lead. But still, psychologically, as Guardiola acknowledged, it feels a lot better than being eight points behind. And, for once, City were on the right side of a controversial VAR call. But they had to endure that sticky first half to get there.
Aston Villa were very good for 45 minutes, full of diligent commitment to their shape, which was loosely a 4-3-3 but 4-5-1 for long periods. No one was more impressive than Jack Grealish in his commitment to track back and harry, with England manager Gareth Southgate watching on.
Villa, however, still could not deny City chances and Gabriel Jesus after five minutes and David Silva in the 44th both should have scored. There was also a moment when Ederson was forced to parry a John McGinn strike on 23 minutes, which saw Douglas Luiz tackled as he attempted to bundle in the rebound. There was a contest of sorts.
And yet, all of Smith’s good work and half-time words were rendered useless within 46 seconds of the restart. Conceding so early from a kick-off is unforgiveable; to do so from your own kick-off is wholly unpardonable.
And it showed a facet of City’s game about which Guardiola rarely boasts. Ederson’s arrival in 2017 and his ability to play long and accurately from the back was the point at which Guardiola’s City stopped looking vulnerable.
It is only an occasional option but was well utilised here. Villa played long from their kick-off, lost the ball and Ederson recovered it. He played it long to Jesus, who, beating Tyrone Mings in the air — Smith was not happy — flicked it on to Sterling, who sprinted past Bjorn Engels and nutmegged Tom Heaton.
Somewhere celestial, Graham Taylor looked down and smiled.
‘All the good work had gone,’ lamented Smith. ‘You applaud Man City for intricate patterns and passing but this was a 70-yard punt from the goalkeeper and we didn’t deal with it well enough.’
Then came the VAR controversy. Find a comfy chair before settling down for this.
After 65 minutes, David Silva played a short corner which ended up with Kevin De Bruyne taking a strike at goal. Silva claimed a touch. He was onside. Sterling might have got a touch as he dodged out of the way of the ball a few yards in front of Heaton. He was offside.
Jonathan Moss, the VAR, spent two-and-a-half minutes examining it. He could not confirm that Silva had touched it. Had he done so, he would have had to call whether Sterling was seeking to gain an advantage. That was debatable, though hard to see how he was not.
So it was De Bruyne’s goal and no offside. Except that after the game, the goal accreditation panel gave it to Silva. In fact, Silva had eagerly been telling on-field referee Graham Scott he had touched it. So, VAR could not determine whether he had touched it but the goals’ panel, a separate group, could. Which is as clear as mud.
Still, the game now was beyond Villa and from a 70th-minute corner they conceded their third. The ball was played into Fernandinho, whose shot across goal was met by Bernardo. Villa cleared that, but only to Ilkay Gundogan, who struck the ball home on the half-volley.
There was time for that brief impressive Foden cameo and for Fernandinho to be given a second yellow card, forcing Gundogan to finish the match at centre-half (presumably Guardiola will not feel he has finished with English football until pairing De Bruyne and David Silva at the heart of his defence, just to show what is possible).
McGinn, with the last kick of the game, hit a shot against a post which rebounded into the hands of Ederson. For Villa, it was one of those hard lessons. Impressive starts count for little if you cannot defend your own kick-offs.
Man City (4-3-3): Ederson 8; Cancelo 7, Stones 6, Ferdandinho 6, Mendy 6.5 (Angelino 72min, 6); De Bruyne 8 (Foden 76, 7), Gundogan 7, D Silva 8; B Silva 6.5, Jesus 7, Sterling 8.5 (Aguero 76, 6.5). Booked: Gundogan, Fernandinho. Subs (not used): Bravo, Walker, Otamendi, Mahrez. aSton Villa (4-3-3): Heaton 8; Guilbert 6, Engels 5.5, Mings 5.5, Targett 6; McGinn 6.5, 7, Nakamba 7, Luiz 7; Trezeguet 6.5, Wesley 5 (Davis 71, 6) Grealish 7.5 (El Ghazi 84). Booked: Grealish. Subs (not used): Steer, Taylor, Lansbury, Konsa, Hourihane.
Referee: G Scott 6.