Pep’s City were like Scrooge.. now they are handing out presents
OPPOSITION forwards looked at the centre of Manchester City’s defence two years ago and wondered what change they would get out of them.
Not much, was probably the common consensus.
They were Scrooge-like that season, conceding a measly 27 goals in 38 Premier League matches as City romped to the title.
But on Saturday they couldn’t have looked more different against Norwich with Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones reunited at the heart of City’s back four.
They were edgy, nervous and getatable, the sort of partnership you revel in
running at if you’re a striker. And what I simply do not understand is this desire some teams seem to have of wanting to play out from the back every single time they have the ball.
Sometimes you do just need to get the ball forward and away from danger.
And if you look at Otamendi’s body position for Teemu Pukki’s goal, it wasn’t the body language of a senior professional but a schoolboy footballer.
Stones has the propensity to be just as bad and that’s a massive worry for City.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that the title race is over already.
But boss Pep Guardiola certainly has to work things out at the back – and fast – now he is without Aymeric Laporte for a good chunk of the season.
The big question for this week is whether he’ll stick with Otamendi and Stones or bring in Kyle Walker and/or Fernandinho against Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow.
Stones and Otamendi just don’t have the same pragmatism as Liverpool’s defenders, and Shakhtar’s forwards will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of facing them.
I also wonder if Guardiola is now thinking he could have done more to retain Vinny Kompany after missing out on Harry Maguire to Manchester United. I know Kompany wanted to test himself as a manager and that he’s had his injury problems.
On and off the pitch, however, he brought so much to City. Keeping hold of him until his successor was through the door would have been massive.
Of course it’s bad luck when a player of Laporte’s calibre suffers a long-term injury, but it’s not as if Guardiola did not know what back-up he would have if the Frenchman was to get crocked.
It is pretty obvious he is unhappy with Stones by the number of big games he picks him for and while Otamendi is a steady defender, he needs good players alongside him to play better. Pair him with Stones and it’s just a recipe for disaster. So Guardiola has a massive decision to make now, given the importance of the Champions League to City this season.
Shakhtar away is one of those games that can easily blow up in your face, so he cannot afford to get it wrong.
I always say on match-day one of a Premier League that you really have to win it and if you don’t, you absolutely do not lose.
The same is true in the Champions League and if Guardiola sticks with the central defenders who played against Norwich then there are no guarantees of a positive outcome.