City limp across the finishing line
Nervy draw lands top-four place for Pep
Technically, it isn’t over. There is still a permutation that would leave Pep Guardiola locked outside the champions league and, in this of all seasons, it is perhaps wise not to rule it out.
Manchester United need to beat Bournemouth by 19 goals in their delayed 38th match. it would be interesting to hear what bookies are quoting for that turnaround — just to see if they regard it as likelier than a leicester city title win.
The handshakes and big grins as Manchester city left the field suggested they are realists, however, and see such a comeback as unlikely. and they are right.
city did enough. Just enough. The bare minimum, really. They will qualify ahead of a United team perceived to be in crisis for much of the season on goal difference.
Well, whoop-de-do. condemning United to the europa league, at best, has some bragging rights attached of course, but it will hardly have been the prize envisaged when city laid out more than £100million on Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling last summer.
De Bruyne began in lively fashion yesterday, but soon faded like his team-mates, and Sterling couldn’t get a game. it wasn’t good enough. The whole season wasn’t good enough. even the champions league play-off stage will be new territory for Guardiola. he has never had to pre-qualify.
There are significant names in that part of the draw, too: Villarreal, Porto, Borussia Monchengladbach, Roma. yet while all have pedigree, none of those squads have been compiled at the enormous expense of Manchester city.
So it is relative. They have done well — they’ve won a trophy this season, too, the capital One cup — but in terms of bang for buck, they should expect more. This was the players’ last chance to show the new boss they meant business, to put United away, out of reach, beyond all possibility. They couldn’t even do that.
Swansea were there for the taking. Their season was over, they rested key players and this was as gentle an end-of-season fixture as could have been envisaged. in the end, city were a breakaway goal from handing the advantage back to their neighbours.
They saw the game out, but only because Swansea were ready to declare summer. The lap of appreciation summed it up, Swansea players waving to an appreciative crowd and strolling with their kids on a spring afternoon. The children, delightful, ran around chasing balls and each other as fast as their little legs could carry them. at least someone made full use of the pitch.
city were a goal up and could have had the game won before half-time. Kelechi iheanacho could have had the game won on his own but his finishing was often woeful.
Guardiola may be able to improve the work rate of this squad, he may improve it tactically or technically, but certain qualities are immutable.
iheanacho is either a clinical finisher or not, and he is not. So this was far harder than it should have been, the threat of a second Swansea goal much greater than was necessary.
in the 58th minute, when Federico Fernandez steered a header just wide, those looking down the ground from the city end must have felt their hearts skip a beat.
had city lost here, the advantage would undoubtedly been with United.
The game was just two minutes old when aguero found De Bruyne, whose cross was palmed out by goalkeeper Kristoffer nordfeldt, and then recovered at the second attempt. From the next attack, city took the lead.
it was a controversial opener, although quite why is a mystery. De Bruyne crossed, aguero shot, the ball came out off nordfeldt and iheanacho turned it in.
yet Swansea protested and for a moment it looked as if Mike Dean had intervened on their behalf. The home fans celebrated this reprieve.
Then referee Dean pointed to the centre circle and it was the turn of the away end to cheer and gloat. Replays showed Stephen Kingsley played iheanacho onside.
The Swansea goal chalked off four minutes later was considerably more contentious.
This time, Dean ruled that scorer Jefferson Montero had fouled Bacary Sagna to convert his header, but the evidence was not overwhelming.
city were allowed to stroll through much of the first half, creating and wasting chances as if they had a suitcase of them spare.
a big error by Montero after half an hour left iheanacho clear but his finish was hurried and inaccurate.
in the 38th minute, a lovely long ball from De Bruyne set up a counter-attack for Jesus navas but, as usual, his finish was weak.
Failing to take their chances came back to haunt city when Swansea levelled on the stroke of half-time,
andre ayew’s free-kick glanced off the head of Fernando, making it impossible for goalkeeper Joe hart to save.
after the game, city manager Manuel Pellegrini joined the celebrations in front of the away end.
he leaves as the first South american to manage the english champions, a winner of three trophies in as many seasons and the man who took the club to a champions league semi-final.
yet it is hard to view this season as anything more than stagnant.
Pellegrini gave his jacket to the fans. ‘it’s fine,’ he said. ‘There was nothing in it.’ as a metaphor for this limp conclusion to city’s season, it felt about right.