CITY CLICKERS
Goal glut is proof Pep’s vision can’t be derailed
ON days like these, it is easier to believe.
Pep Guardiola’s first season has been a challenging one for disciples. Their faith has been tested. Miracles have not occurred, divinity has been elusive, flawed humanity has been all too evident.
But this is how it was for the first ten games and this was how it was meant to be always.
David Silva was scintillating, a leading man, with Kevin de Bruyne a pretty useful supporting actor. Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sané provided a decent supporting cast. And Guardiola’s vision for the football world suddenly does not look quite so out of place in England.
Champions League qualification is getting closer, which is not quite the rapture that was promised but is at least a straw at which to clutch. Guardiola is more bullish than that, however. In his mind, his team are the best, with the important caveat, which he acknowledges, that they do not normally execute their chances like they did yesterday.
‘I remember only one game when the opponent created more chances than us: it was White Hart Lane at Tottenham,’ he said yesterday. ‘The other ones: no chance. So we are better than all the teams in the Premier League, home and away.
‘Even the next champions, Chelsea. We created more chances here and at Stamford Bridge. But in the boxes we are not good.’
It was difficult to tell whether City were excellent yesterday or whether it was just Palace who were awful. Better teams may well have challenged a full-back pairing of Fernandinho and Gael Clichy, with Nicolas Otamendi at centrehalf. Vincent Kompany played a fifth successive game and scored, the former feat more of a milestone than the latter. And if he can retain fitness, become what he was again, then clearly there may be hope.
City went into the match with two wins in nine, Palace with six from ten. Yet Sam Allardyce was entitled to despair at his team yesterday. He is missing key players, but nevertheless, they were abject.
‘Lose, yes, but lose like that, no,’ he declared. ‘Unacceptable. After the second goal it was just a bit of capitulation from the players, which is very disappointing after what we’ve achieved recently. All five goals could have been avoided.’
Almost immediately from kick off, Palace backed off and allowed Silva space to loft a ball into the box and find Sterling. He chipped the ball back in and Martin Kelly offered only the softest of headers to clear. The ball fell nicely for Silva, who smashed it home from close range. The clock stood at one minute fifty six seconds.
Palace looked perplexed and played that way, too, as City swept forward. However, slowly they recalled their counter-attacking game plan. And on 36 minutes, Andros Townsend raced down the right wing and crossed for Christian Benteke to head goalwards and force Willy Cabellero into a fine save.
It seemed promising, yet then came half-time and another inexplicably slow start from the visitors. From a corner, Palace cleared but De Bruyne drove in a cross and no one thought to stay with Kompany as he drifted to the edge of the box and gracefully swept the ball into the net from 20 yards. The clock read 48 minutes and 15 seconds.
Palace contrived to concede a third from their own throw in on 59 minutes. It involved Silva outjumping Luka Milivojevic to win a header, before Jesus fed De Bruyne to strike too hard for Wayne Hennessey to save.
The surprise was it took them until then 82nd minute to add their fourth. Yaya Toure launched a lovely lofted pass to find Pablo Zabaleta down the right wing. He headed back for Sterling, who allowed the ball top bounce before hitting it on the half volley back into the bottom corner.
There was still time for Otamendi to score the fifth, diving spectacularly on 90 minutes to connect with a lofted De Bruyne free-kick. The stadium might have been half empty by the end — City fans indulging their habit for early exits — but their cup is half full.