Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Pep’s back to talking the talk... and City are still cakewalking the walk
THE man cradling the roving TV camera was in close proximity so Pep Guardiola just could not help himself.
Only trouble was the sole player left on the London Stadium pitch was Ederson.
Never mind, he would do, goalkeeper or not.
So cue one of those Pep talks, those finger-jabbing, hand-waving, hip-swivelling, rat-a-tat debriefs about what one of his men should have done at some stage or other.
Ederson looked suitably non-plussed. Even VAR could not come to his rescue.
Finally, there was the Half Nelson hug, the pat on the head and the bemused player was allowed to go and enjoy the congratulations for a second half double-save that prevented West Ham from staining the scoresheet.
Are the post-match, on-pitch, one-on-one, tactical micro-classes purely for effect? For the lens? Maybe there is an element of that.
More likely is they are just a reflection of Guardiola’s unrelenting pursuit of perfection.
And it is an attitude embodied by his players.
Never mind the white VAR noise that was louder than the Bubbles renditions at this soulless bowl.
As herrings go, they did not come much redder than VAR in this non-contest.
Ruining football?
It did not ruin yet another lovely nudge forward in the progression of Raheem Sterling.
Have those public Pep tutorials had any effect on him? You bet they have.
No composure in front of goal, that’s Sterling’s trouble.
Not a world-class finisher because he only scores when he has not got time to think. Not clever and calm enough, you see. Well, he had time to think before calmly nutmegging Lukasz Fabianski for City’s second.
He had time to think before lassoing a Riyad Mahrez pass and then cleverly lobbing it over Fabianski for City’s third.
He had time to think before giving Fabianski the eyes and coolly caressing in his hat-trick goal and City’s fifth.
Nearly all the credit for Sterling’s continuing improvement lies within himself, but Guardiola is surely due some as well.
If this canter can tell us anything, it is that Guardiola will have his squad suitably motivated for a third title in succession.
The BBC website immediately reported this match as a ‘VARdominated game’. No, it was not. It was City dominated. No wonder the travelling fans held some sort of summer festival in the away section.
Not only was Sterling unplayable, but Kevin De Bruyne looks ready to slip through the gears, Kyle Walker went from snafu to Cafu in a couple of minutes – setting up Gabriel Jesus for the opener – and David Silva produced the usual sublime moments.
John Stones probably Cruyffturned his way back to Manchester and, as for Rodri… on this form, I bet he cannot wait to make his debut in a competitive match.
Even City’s tactical fouling machine was already in prime working order.
And they could even start without Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero. The latter did introduce himself to the season with one from the spot for City’s fourth, although it was at the second attempt after VAR spotted Declan Rice overtaking the City striker as he struck the original.
By then, VAR interventions were strictly irrelevant – all correct, but played only to laughs. By then, it was – on the first weekend of the season, for goodness sake – just a question of City taking a foot-pump to their goal difference.
That is the worrying element. West Ham spent £74million in the summer and never gave City a sniff of a match.
“It’ll be difficult but it is doable,” tweeted David Gold, 15 minutes before kick-off. It was never doable.
Debate will rise if walkovers like this become a theme of the season but, for now, it should rest.
Pep is back talking his talk and City are back cakewalking the walk.
What’s not to enjoy?