McNair howler gifts Guardiola perfect start at the Etihad
THE Pep Guardiola era at Manchester City was heading for a sobering start when Paddy McNair headed into his own goal three minutes from time.
It was cruelly ironic as Sunderland boss David Moyes had brought on the man he bought from Manchester United last week just four minutes earlier to shore up his team after Jermain Defoe looked to have plundered a point with a shock equaliser following Sergio Aguero’s early penalty.
Moyes took off his scorer and sent on the Northern Ireland international, but Jesus Navas’s cross took a wicked spin, hit the hapless McNair and floated into the Black Cats’ net.
It gave the Spanish supercoach the victory he no doubt expected – he’s now won the first game of the season seven times on the trot – but now he’ll know that those who warned him how hard it is to win matches in the Premier League weren’t kidding.
Aguero’s fourth minute penalty had given City the platform for what surely would be his first triumph.
It seemed that the only real drama had come before kick-off when the team-sheet revealed the Spaniard had left out England goalkeeper Joe Hart, preferring Argentinian understudy Willy Caballero.
Guardiola comes with a pedigree of 21 trophies and certainly doesn’t shy away from making big decisions.
He left out Hart apparently because Caballero distributes the ball better. He also omitted Yaya Toure from the squad altogether.
The message was that this is now his club and he’ll do it his way. The past counts for nothing.
City have spent just north of £150m on seven players in the summer, though for various reasons only John Stones and Nolito made the squad.
It may have been Guardiola’s first Premier League game, but for David Moyes it was match number 462, a tally bettered by only four other managers. Bizarrely, the form line going into this favoured Sunderland. After it was announced last January that Guardiola was coming, City took fewer points over the final 14 games of last season.
Patrick van Aanholt’s free-kick brought an early save from Caballero.
In the fourth minute, though, the Dutchman’s sliding tackle felled Raheem Sterling for a nailed-on penalty and Aguero opened the Guardiola goal account.
The goal seemed a disaster for Moyes, whose plan was clearly to keep the game so tight that City became frustrated into making errors.
Instead, all the pressure was lifted even before it began to build and City could be as free-flowing as they liked. It just didn’t happen.
If Caballero is the best sweeperkeeper Guardiola has, though, Hart must be pretty terrible.
The first time the new No.1 was required to clear with his feet he sent the ball straight to an opponent and City narrowly escaped conceding a quick equaliser.
He did better with his feet later in the half when he charged out of his box to hack away a through ball and Guardiola seemed to turn to Hart on the bench as if to say: “That’s what I’m talking about.” A few minutes later, though, he was putting Bacary Sagna under pressure with a sliced clearance.
It was ironic then that it was a superb reaction save from Defoe four minutes from half time that really brought the best out of Caballero.
Sunderland have spent £13.5m, less than 10 per cent of City’s outlay, in the transfer market since Sam Allardyce kept them in the Premier League last May but they dug in and posed a goal threat.
City, on the other hand, were disappointing after the penalty with Mannone not tested again during the first half.
Guardiola allowed his players a quarter of an hour to improve. When they didn’t he made a substitution that was very familiar in Manuel Pellegrini’s time – he brought on Jesus Navas.
Aguero, who had been off target with all his efforts bar the penalty, shot wide again when he should have done better.
But then City paid the price and it was predictably Defoe who did the damage. It left Sunderland with just 19 minutes to hold out but they couldn’t manage it.
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