Manchester City’s defensive difficulties come under the spotlight.
Pep Guardiola’s side were chaotic defensively and were punished when Kenny McLean along with Todd Cantwell sent Norwich into a lead.
Sergio Aguero changed the half-time complexion if he glanced at Bernardo Silva’s cross moments before the period, but it had been another defensive lapse saw which Emi Buendia rob Nicolas Otamendi on the edge of the City box before shot for Teemu Pukki to score the goal which ultimately saw Norwich grip for victory.
Speaking on Sunday Supplement, The Daily Telegraph’s Jason Burt, Miguel Delaney of The Independent and ESPN’s Natalie Gedra analysed City’s defensive problems…
Burt:”The major problem is the defence. I think Vincent Kompany and Laporte’s injury has been crucial for them. You examine the mixture of Otamendi and John Stones, it doesn’t get the job done.
“You look at it and you consider the wealth of the squad, how powerful it’s all over he pitch. There is 1 area where there’s a problem now and that I think what is fascinating is that teams will appear at exactly what Norwich did and believe that’s the way to really go at them – be very competitive in your assaulting. The intent was there from Norwich to have a go at Manchester City.
“In the past couple of years in particular some groups have performed City and thought that this is damage limitation – let’s just try and get out of there with all the tiniest defeat we can get.
“Now teams know there are vulnerabilities within this group that we’re able to exploit. That’s the struggle for Guardiola to handle because they were quite poor.”
Burt:”The way that City play the centre of defence will be a problem for them going forward. That combination of Stones and Otamendi doesn’t function as a set, and that is likely to become a real matter.
“They are not going to change their way of playing and moving forward that’ll be the largest issue. I’m surprised Otamendi remained at the club. Together with Kompany going perhaps they thought they had to keep him. But I was surprised they didn’t bring in somebody as first option and believed he’d gone by date.
“Stones has had his difficulties concerning the mistakes he’s been making and that he hasn’t been too convincing. It was very intriguing season that Kompany played with with a great deal of games and he was needed by them.
“The combination of those two means there is not a leader. Nobody taking control of it and is marshalling the defence. It should be Otamendi but I do not think he is strong enough to do that as a character. John Stones are liked by me, I enjoy him as a player. You will find issue however he is a player. He wants somebody together with him who is about to marshal this defence. He is not likely to be this person.”
Delaney:”One of the undercurrents prior to the season was if Liverpool will be able to sustain the identical level they achieved last season. The anticipation was they’d shed, not City.
“People expected that from City last year after the 100 points. Whether that is the slight drop off which comes in application.
“One of those things that was mentioned after the deception was the fact that they had been knackered, the mental effort necessary to win these three prizes – and I guess you can bring in the European campaign too – was a great deal. The players want to remain in precisely the same level but mentally almost they can not. It is simply taken too much of a toll.”
Gedra:”Everybody else is talking about City’s defence. I think see that City within the last few seasons have been able to find collective solutions and we will need to quit looking at the individuals. And I think that is what they are going to do today with this issue that is .
“You might feel that Stones and Otamendi aren’t playing Otamendi and Laporte or even Kompany and Laporte were, but Laporte is hurt so that’s it. Obviously it has a major effect especially since he had been the defender for City.
“However, City always manage to locate superior solutions. They played for the most part of last year without Kevin de Bruyne and he was the essential part of the game that was attacking. So today I truly think that they will find defensive alternatives looking in the collective.”
Burt:”Guardiola’s have a significant problem and he must find a fast solution. It may be that it’s moving Fernandinho back into the defence, which I presume they’ve been doing in training and trialling a bit”
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