CAN’T BEAR TO LOOK!
City fall EIGHT points behind Liverpool
EVeN in the depths of last winter, the deficit never reached eight points when they had played the same number of games. The thing about Manchester City’s start to this season is that there is no great surprise at Liverpool’s supremacy.
City are struggling badly at the moment, perforated by injuries and the indifferent form of key individuals.
Their hopes of winning a third title on the bounce are looking increasingly bleak. Liverpool now have the biggest lead after eight games in Premier League history.
The bare bones of this defeat for City were that Wolves were magnificent — fully deserving of Adama Traore’s two goals in the final 10 minutes — and the home team were dreadful. Picked off at will and barely creating meaningful chances of their own, this was as bad as we have seen under Pep Guardiola.
Only two shots on target, a passive midfield — it is no exaggeration to say Wolves could have inflicted far more damage. As it was, they had to settle for a first win here for two decades. City ended up with five bookings and failed to score a home goal for the first time in 45 Premier League matches. Forced into hopeful crosses or long-range shots, their patience went out of the window.
‘It was a bad day,’ conceded Guardiola. ‘We didn’t play well. We have to improve, we weren’t solid in our build-up. It is not just about the defensive side.’
Wolves were far more energetic, despite their 4,000-mile round trip to Istanbul to face Besiktas in the europa League on Thursday.
‘My players ran like crazy,’ said manager Nuno espirito Santo.
Defensively, this took you back to Guardiola’s first campaign in charge. It was complete and utter
carnage, with Nicolas Otamendi having one of those days that City supporters fear is never too far away for him.
Guardiola is privately agitated at the club’s unwillingness to pay the money required to land top target Harry Maguire from Leicester in the summer, puzzled why City quibbled over £15million for someone who he badly wanted. History may view that as a chronic error.
Otamendi’s fingerprints were smudged across all of the Wolves chances long before Traore’s late double, although Guardiola shielded him afterwards, bemoaning a lack of protection.
There were so many Otamendi moments that it was difficult to keep track. First, the Argentine charged to win a ball he had no hope of claiming on halfway, Traore’s delivery passing him by and leaving Fernandinho despairingly out of position. Patrick Cutrone, who only has one goal this season, skewed wide.
Otamendi was later indebted to defensive partner Fernandinho for bailing him out. Wolves broke and Otamendi needlessly went to ground just outside his penalty area, before Fernandinho blocked Raul Jimenez’s shot and then headed Cutrone’s follow-up clear. Incredibly, more followed. This time Otamendi’s lax pass left Fernandinho in all sorts of trouble as Jimenez raced beyond the Brazilian who, to his immense credit, somehow managed to hold the striker up long enough for Ederson to intervene.
City were struggling for creativity and their midfield was outmuscled. They lacked runners beyond Sergio Aguero while one particularly sprightly teenager — Phil Foden — remained on the bench. Riyad Mahrez’s volley, blocked by Conor Coady, was their best chance and a Raheem Sterling effort on the half-turn forced Rui Patricio into a decent two-handed stop. Joao Cancelo made his full league debut, starting at left back in the absence of Benjamin Mendy.
It was a tough assignment against Traore, whose main trick is to hit the byline at pace. The right-footed Cancelo could not handle him and Guardiola sacrificed the out- ofsorts Kyle Walker at half-time — introducing Oleksandr Zinchenko and shifting Cancelo to his preferred right flank. Walker had been nursing a stomach infection.
City’s issues were perhaps summed up best when Wolves counter-attacked from a corner, with Rodri and Cancelo cautioned simultaneously amid a panic to halt the threat.
There was growing discontent in the stands and dissent on the pitch, with Ederson yellow-carded for complaining to referee Craig Pawson after David Silva was penalised for a foul. Silva, rather uncharacteristically, hurled abuse in frustration — it was that kind of afternoon. Meanwhile, Wolves could not capitalise on two further mistakes by Otamendi. Home pressure never truly materialised, although Silva struck the bar from a free-kick before then hoicking the ball over the top.
City searched for a winner but Otamendi was not done yet.
Wolves broke after Cancelo conceded possession and the Etihad’s intake of breath was sharp.
Now we had Jimenez against Otamendi. The defender went to ground again. The defender was bypassed again.
Jimenez slipped the ball to Traore, who finished beyond Ederson for his first goal in 13 months. His second came shortly after, in stoppage time, when he ran clear and pushed the ball past the goalkeeper.
The goals and result had been coming and City’s corporate Tunnel Club became a scene of aggravation with away supporters refusing to conceal their delight.
One bearded German gentleman on Merseyside will have felt exactly the same way.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 6.5; Walker 5 (Zinchenko 46min, 5), Otamendi 3, Fernandinho 6, Cancelo 5; Gundogan 5, Rodri 5, Silva 5.5 (Jesus 75, 6); Mahrez 6 (Bernardo 60, 6.5), Aguero 6, Sterling 6. Subs not used: Bravo, Angelino,
Foden, Garcia. Booked: Rodri, Cancelo, Ederson, Gundogan, Fernandinho. Manager: Pep Guardiola 5.
WOLVES (3-5-2): Patricio 7; Boly 8, Coady 8, Saiss 6 (Bennett 13, 8); TRAORE 9, Dendoncker 7, Moutinho 7, Neves 8, Vinagre 7 (Otto 74, 6); Jimenez 8, Cutrone 5.5 (Doherty 68, 6). Subs not used: Ruddy, Vallejo, GibbsWhite, Kilman. Scorer: Traore 80, 90. Booked: Neves, Moutinho. Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo 8. Referee: Craig Pawson 6. Attendance: 54,435.