Pep Guardiola has revived Barcelona spirit to boost City’s title chances
Manchester City, brilliant but oddly vulnerable; Manchester United, a mess but with the odd spark. It was, in the end, a Manchester derby that confirmed what we already knew. And the result is that the title race rolls on to Anfield on Sunday and, after four straight wins apiece in the league, a potentially seismic clash between City and Liverpool.
By that point, Arsenal could be top, assuming they extend their run of successive league wins to eight by beating Brentford on Saturday. Of which there are two things to be said: first that after next weekend there will be 10 games remaining and tOf which there are two things to be said: first that after next weekend there will be 10 games remaining and there haven’t been three sides so tightly bunched at the top at this stage since 2010 (when after 28 games, Chelsea led United by a point with Arsenal two further back). And second, that if this is going to be a classic run-in, it needs the top teams to drop unexpected points, for there to be twists and turns, rather than the sort of procession of wins for the major contenders that characterised 2018-19.
United, meanwhile, are six points off fifth and, while they may have been ahead at half-time, the gulf between them and City is vast. Given their injuries, it’s perhaps not entirely fair to judge them on this one game, but it is reasonable to ask more generally why, having had more time than either Unai Emery at Aston Villa or Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham and having spent a lot more money, Erik ten Hag has been so much less successful at forging a side with a coherent structure and identity. Recruitment has been historically bad and he is due sympathy for that but, equally, he’s the one who looked at Antony and saw a £90m footballer.
Ten Hag’s setup was a return to the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer days of a midfield diamond with split strikers, which made sense: the Norwegian’s record against City, against all big sides, was comparatively good; it was at constructing attacks against teams who sat deep against United that he struggled. Deploying the pace of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho against a City defensive line that has leaked more goals to rapid counterattacks this season than any Premier League side other than Crystal Palace probably was the way United could get at City.
To the extent that it brought the opening goal – a majestic long pass from André Onana, Bruno Fernandes playing the target-man role with unexpected aplomb and Rashford arrowing a shot into the top corner – it worked.
But thereafter Rashford was awful while United’s unfamiliarity with the shape was evident in their hesitancy. Gradually they were forced deeper and deeper, unable to get out, unable to mount the sort of counterthrust that might have threatened a second or stemmed the City tide.
City might not have equalised until the 56th minute or gone ahead until the 80th but there was never any real sense that United would get away with it.
It was two moments of brilliance from Phil Foden that decided the game but with him in exceptional form, plus Erling Haaland, plus Kevin De Bruyne, there is always the sense that, as well as being a relentless machine that overwhelms sides with their pressing and control of possession, City have the individuals who can turn games.
In that sense they are, in spirit at least, a little more like Pep Guardiola’s early Barcelona than some of the sides which have won the title at City. There is also a feeling that because of the growing tendency to play direct to Haaland, which adds a fresh dimension to their attacking play, they are perhaps not quite so in control as earlier iterations. Guardiola once spoke of his sides needing 15 passes after regaining possession so they could set themselves to guard against the counter; that layer of protection has seemingly been lost as they have become more threatening in transition, hence a vulnerability to rapid breaks.
And that perhaps explains the feeling over the past couple of months, even as City have won 15 of their last 16 games, that they are not quite at their best, that they are not quite as intimidatingly remorseless as in previous seasons. There has also been a recognition that the fixture list has been unusually gentle. Sunday was the first time since they lost to Villa three months ago that they have played a side who began the day in the top eight in the Premier League.
The derby was supposed to be the start of a tough month that would define their season. Perhaps it will, but United at the moment are really no match for City. Liverpool, Arsenal and Villa in the next four weeks will represent far stiffer tests.
Trivia question
In 2009, Manchester City signed the former Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez. How did they celebrate?
a) By holding an open-top bus parade b) By building a statue c) By putting up posters around Manchester city center
d) By walking Tevez around Old Trafford in a City shirt
On this day
The League Cup began in the 1960-61 season, in part as a way for clubs to take advantage of the advent of floodlights with a structured midweek evening competition, and in part as a way for the League to strike a blow in its eternal power struggle with the Football Association (which ran the primary knockout competition). In its early seasons the final was played over two legs but there was a feeling that the new competition would have more appeal if, like the FA Cup, it had a showpiece one-off final at Wembley, with the winners being granted a European place.On 4 March 1967, the holders West Brom, a top-flight side, faced Queens Park Rangers of the Third Division in the first Wembley League Cup final. Two goals from Clive Clark had West Brom 2-0 up by half-time, but a Roger Morgan header pulled one back after 63 minutes and Rodney Marsh levelled with quarter of an hour remaining. And then, amid a goalmouth scramble, came probably the most significant goal in the club’s history as Mike Lazarus rolled in an 81st-minute winner. QPR had the only trophy they have ever won but they were denied European football; that, it was decided, was for First Division teams only.
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US watch
The USWNTcruised through to the semi-finals of the W Gold Cup with a 3-0 win over Colombia on Sunday. The US lost their final match of the group stage 2-0 to Mexico to set up a tricky tie in the knockout rounds, but ran out comfortable winners thanks to firsthalf goals from Jenna Nighswonger and Jaedyn Shaw. They will face Canada in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
USMNTstrikerJosh Sargentis in redhot formforNorwich. He scored his 11th goal of the league season and his eighth of 2024 in a 1-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday. It also marked the seventh consecutive home game in which Sargent has found the net.
Milan winger Christian Pulisic received death threats and abuse on social media after Milan’s 1-0 victory over Lazio in Serie A on Friday. Lazio finished the match with eight men and Pulisic was involved in two of the three dismissals. Pulisic posted photos on Instagram of himself and the Milan team celebrating after the game, and was inundated with abusive comments.
What a frustrating year for Gio Reyna. The USMNT midfielder joined
Nottingham Forest on loan in January but has struggled to squeeze into Forest’s starting lineup during his first month at the club. He missed Forest’s contentious 1-0 defeat by Liverpool with a minor injury but has struggled for game time throughout his loan spell. Reyna has played only 38 minutes in four appearances. In total this season, he’s played only 343 minutes for two clubs. He left Borussia Dortmund in hopes of reigniting his career and finding some form before a pivotal summer for the US national team. Now Gregg Berhalter is left with a dilemma: does he continue to build around a player who’s seen precious few club minutes this season or look at other, in form options?
What to watch
Manchester City head to Anfield for the Premier League’s equivalent of Game 7 of the NBA finals. Liverpool’s debilitating injury crisis has yet to destabilize their title charge. They’re currently top of the table, one point clear of City. Jürgen Klopp has been able to spin magic out of a youthful team with a number of first-team players missing. City have been in impressive form, but far from their best in big matchups. Liverpool’s counterattacking style plays into some of City’s vulnerabilities, and Klopp boasts a superior record against Guardiola. Arsenal continue to chug along in the title race, but whichever of City or Liverpool wins on Sunday will be favorites to take the league. (11.45am ET, 7 March, USA Network/Telemundo)
Reading list
“Mental health is a big reminder that just being a good listener is a huge thing,” Canada international Shelina Zadorsky tells Julia Ranney.
“After the dust has settled a familiar question remained unanswered, meanwhile: is football taking concussion seriously enough?” writes Paul MacInnes as the sport adds permanent concussion substitutes beginning next season.
“Only Foden and Bernardo Silva in the City starting XI spoke to the longer-term Guardiola heritage of small, skilful hyper-technical midfielders,” writes Barney Ronay of City’s new model for success.
Trivia answer
The answer is c). ManchesterCity placed posters around Manchester to annoy Sir Alex Ferguson after signing Tevez, according to former City boss Mark Hughes. “They are a small club with a small mentality,” Ferguson has said. Fourteen years on and six league titles later, United have taken to erecting posters of their own as they look to play catchup to Guardiola’s side.