YOU BLEW IT, PEP
Manchester City missed once-in-a-lifetime chance to rub United faces in the dirt
Pep Guardiola tried all the usual weapons to repel those with the temerity to question his judgment. Mild irritation, a little light sarcasm, false modesty applied ironically. Ultimately, though, the reality was inescapable.
Manchester City blew it. Not the title, because it is simply unthinkable that they will not win that, but the moment. A unique and special moment that may never come their way again.
To win the premier League title, at their home ground, against Manchester United. It does not happen this way, except in films.
Sir Alex Ferguson won 13 titles at Manchester United. How many were confirmed against Manchester City? None. How many were at home? Three.
On another six occasions, United weren’t even playing, their rivals simply dropped points.
Other times, they won at unremarkable locations: Middlesbrough, Southampton, Wigan and Blackburn. Their home wins came against Tottenham, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
So while those Manchester City fans crying in the stands maybe need to get a grip, it cannot be denied that this was a unique opportunity, spurned.
In 2007, United defeated City to stand on the brink but it was only when Chelsea drew with Arsenal the next day that the trophy was theirs.
In Spain now, a possible permutation of results has Barcelona winning La Liga at the Nou Camp on May 6 against Real Madrid. There is tremendous excitement in Catalonia over this because that stuff so rarely happens. Guardiola would understand that — but did he entirely understand what this fixture meant to City?
This was a local game, for local people. The country may be enthralled by City’s quest to overturn a three-goal deficit against Liverpool tomorrow night but any vox pop in the stadium would have revealed the regulars prioritising Saturday’s match.
They would have swapped 4-0 over Liverpool for 1-0 against Manchester United, and the title, in a finger snap. THe
attitude is that Champions League success will come, one day. They were in a semi-final in 2016, they could be in one again next season.
With the resources the club have, it would not be unusual. But Manchester United, at home, to win the league? That’s once in a lifetime. And Manchester United, at home, to win the league, two goals clear at half-time? That was sheer blue heaven. Still, at least those City fans who secretly hanker after the good old days when the club were the perennial underdogs, got to re-acquaint with those masochistic feelings and realise what a load of old rubbish they are. Who wants to be mocked by the Reds again? This was a truly rotten result for the club.
Not just for the opportunity missed but for the blow it delivered so close to a huge Champions League game.
Now, if City race into a two-goal lead against Liverpool, their most recent memory is of throwing that away. And just a single Liverpool goal, remember, means City need five. Liverpool don’t have to win 3-2. They can lose 4-1 and go through.
Guardiola is a proud man, with every right to be. He thinks his way is the best and looking at the league table, rather than one-off results, it is hard to argue. Yet he must be concerned. Never in his managerial career has he conceded three goals back to back, and to lose control of two matches against his major rivals so spectacularly speaks of a flaw in the system; a glitch that has to be corrected in the 24 hours before Liverpool arrive. ‘I have to be happy,’ said Guardiola. ‘I like to watch my
team, the way we play this season and the way we played in the first half against Manchester United.
‘But when you play against Liverpool or in Europe when you have that momentum you have to close the door. And we didn’t close it.
‘I thought about that many times. I’ve dropped a lot of Champions League games in the space of 10 or 15 minutes. Against Barcelona with Bayern Munich, 77 minutes 0-0, 90 minutes — 3-0. Maybe it’s my fault. I have to think about it.
‘But I feel that when you dominate and create chances you are closer to winning games and I think this season has shown that.
‘The numbers we have in terms of goals but also the chances we concede, we are the best with these type of players. But it’s impossible when the opponents arrive four times and score three goals — there is no system that can sustain that. So, it’s complicated.
‘It is difficult for our mood not winning but maybe we will improve for the future on that, to realise that sometimes what we’ve done to win the games is not enough.
‘Maybe it’s not enough to win at Champions League level or in the Premier League. If that’s so I will have to recognise that I’m not good enough or the way we want to play is not able to do that — but I don’t think so because of what we’ve done this season.’
He’s right. It is complicated. A league table that shows City still 13 points clear, or the ability to reduce Everton to 18 per cent possession chasing a game at home — as happened two Saturdays ago — does not suggest the need for dramatic change. Yet anyone who has witnessed City’s last two games cannot be complacent about the future. Jurgen Klopp has found a way to play against them and United will be better next year, too. This win showed the value of marquee signings such as Paul Pogba, whose two goals in 97 seconds transformed the game and maybe the remainder of his season, with Tottenham still to play in an FA Cup semi-final.
While doubts may exist over his defensive discipline, nobody can doubt his worth driving forward in support of attack.
His two goals were excellent, exactly what is required of a midfielder in his position.
Jose Mourinho said he loved what he got from his midfield three of Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera, although the second half seemed infinitely better than the first.
Mourinho is correct in talking up United’s league performance this season, too: 71 points from 32 games would have put them among the top two in all but two of the last 10 seasons — twice they would have been third on goal difference — and would have led the league at this stage in 2015-16 and 2010-11.
Only an exceptional campaign from Manchester City has made them appear inferior.
Yet Saturday’s revival shows change is possible. In four days, City’s aura of invincibility has disappeared and Guardiola reduced to self-doubt.
What should have been the high point of a remarkable season has become its first genuine negative. Even if they cannot recapture the perfect ending, from here Guardiola’s challenge is to ensure they at least pass this way again. MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1): Ederson 6; Danilo 5.5, Kompany 6.5, Otamendi 5, Delph 6; Fernandinho 5.5; Sterling 6, Gundogan 7 (Aguero 76min), D Silva 7 (De Bruyne 72, 5), Sane 6; B Silva 6 (Jesus 72, 4). Subs not used: Bravo, Walker, Laporte, Toure. Scorers: Kompany 25, Gundogan 31. Booked: Sterling, Fernandinho, Aguero, Danilo, Kompany, Jesus. Manager: Pep Guardiola 6. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-3): De Gea 7; Valencia 6, Bailly 6, Smalling 6, Young 6; Herrera 7.5 (Lindelof 90), Matic 7.5, Pogba 7.5; Lingard 6 (McTominay 85), Lukaku 5.5, Sanchez 6.5 (Rashford 82). Subs not used: Pereira, Rojo, Mata, Martial. Scorers: Pogba 53, 55, Smalling 69. Booked: Herrera, Pogba, Lukaku. Manager: Jose Mourinho 7. Referee: Martin Atkinson 5. Attendance: 55,097.