City facing the bus in every home clash
EVEN MORE VISITORS TO THE ETIHAD ARE GOING ON THE DEFENSIVE
BT Sport can’t say they weren’t warned.
Anyone who tuned into the December 27 clash between Newcastle and City at St James’ Park will have feared the worst.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher branded England’s top flight embarrassing as the Premier League leaders saw out an utterly one-sided 1-0 win last month.
“The Premier League now is becoming a bit of a joke league, with the top teams being so far ahead of the ones at the bottom,” he said.
That is never more evident than when Pep Guardiola’s team are in action – particularly at home.
For 60 minutes at the Etihad, it was a glorified training exercise.
Newcastle defended in double figures – 10, sometimes 11 behind the ball.
The Blues picked and poked at a sea of black and white. A spectacle, it was not. The tragedy of it all is that in this City side, we are witnessing the most attractive football of any team on these shores.
Guardiola has assembled a group utterly devoted to attack from the first minute to the last.
They may be Europe’s finest – it’s just hard to tell. That’s because more and more opposition managers are taking the Newcastle approach.
Sit deep. Soak up the pressure. Lose.
This was the antithesis of last week’s thriller at Anfield.
A game in which Liverpool highlighted how beautifully imperfect City are.
A 4-3 scoreline could have ended up 5-4 in either direction had the game gone on for five minutes more.
City are irresistible up front – vulnerable at the back, if anyone can get close enough to John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.
It’s too much to ask for a repeat of Liverpool every week, but this City team deserves to be involved in more classic, unforgettable encounters.
Rafa Benitez was never going to emulate Jurgen Klopp’s game plan.
He doesn’t have the players. He doesn’t possess Sadio Mane, Mo Salah or Roberto Firmino.
Nor is it Newcastle’s obligation to provide a show for the neutral. Their job is to do what’s best for them.
But it is hard to argue that such a negative approach was in their best interests.
It wasn’t until going 2-0 down that they finally decided to have a go and you know what, it actually had an effect.
Jacob Murphy pulled one back and Mo Diame was close to the unlikeliest of equalisers.
For a five-minute spell we actually had a game. Newcastle ultimately went back to the north east losing 3-1 – but for those precious few minutes their travelling support were given that glorious feeling of hope.
For the spectators on TV – the briefest of glimpses of a contest.
And that’s what the Premier League needs as it continues to pedal its wares around the globe.
Its finest talent should not be a turn-off. This is not City’s fault. But it is becoming their problem.