Gvardiol, Ederson shambolic in latest Manchester City exposé as giddy Liverpool, Salah await
Liverpool will be giddy after Josko Gvardiol and Ederson’s latest disasterclass. Not even Pep Guardiola can save this sh*t and Sunday will be ugly.
Manchester City were the beneficiaries of a desperately needed gift from the footballing gods shortly before half-time against Feyenoord; a rash swipe from Quinten Timber on Erling Haaland saw referee Radu Petrescu point to the penalty spot.
Like Pep Guardiola, Haaland had cut a frustrated figure for much of the opening half, though he made no mistake with his penalty.
He ignored the Emi Martinez-esque mind games played by Timon Wellenreuther to send the Feyenoord goalkeeper the wrong way and score a goal everyone associated with Man City had been craving for 43 minutes.
City’s latest Champions League group match started similarly to the harrowing weekend defeat against Tottenham. They dominated possession and created a couple of openings with an inferior opponent penned in their defensive half.
Haaland had an early sight of goal as his header struck the post, but this was not a sign of things to come as Man City swiftly ran out of ideas and reverted to their new flat type.
The increasingly common sound of groans reverberated around the Etihad once more as Man City’s discouraged supporters became more vocal in airing their grievances as the opening half wore on.
Jamie Carragher pointed out following that 4-0 defeat that Man City’s “legs had gone” and the first half reinforced the view that Guardioala’s weary players need a mini-retirement or 20.
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Devoid of anything resembling confidence, Guardiola’s once-robotic winning machine looked alarmingly human as there was no intensity or flow to their play.
This was particularly worrying considering opponents Feyenoord did not have the same level of quality possessed by City’s recent conquerors and were often sloppy in possession when working an opportunity on the counter-attack.
Even then, a misfunctioning City made the opening to the game needlessly comfortable for their opponents, who gradually grew in confidence and made home supporters wince at a couple of nervy moments.
Before this game, Feyenoord were earmarked as the ideal opponent to be the victim in a confidence-building Man City result/performance and the hosts (for a little bit) looked far more assured after Haaland’s penalty saved them from being booed off at the break.
Their vibes were boosted by another fortunate moment shortly after the restart: Ilkay Gundogan’s deflected volley – which would have normally been saved – ricocheted into the net for their second of the night.
Moments later, Haaland – whose penalty saw him become the youngest player to score 45 Champions League goals – added his second and City’s third, converting from close range following a cross from Matheus Nunes on the right flank.
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A 3-0 scoreline would have flattered Man City and a visibly dismayed Guardiola had an awful poker face when his side needlessly threw away a simple enough opportunity at a clean sheet.
Following the Spurs shambles, it was somewhat surprising that Guardiola *only* made three changes, though this is largely down to his lack of options in central midfield and defence.
For all his brilliance in attack, Josko Gvardiol was fortunate to keep his place after his errors contributed to two of Tottenham’s goals. His loose pass allowed Anis Hadj-Moussa in on goal before he rounded Ederson to make it 3-1.
Guardiola had his head in his hands for an awkwardly long time after this setback and his mood worsened when more careless play from his side allowed Feyenoord their second, which was comically bad from Man City’s perspective.
Another misplaced pass by Gvardiol prevented Man City from clearing to safety and Ederson made a mess of Jordan Lotomba’s pullback, which substitute Santiago Gimenez tapped home from a couple of yards out.
Man City are usually known for their immense ability to ride out pressure and see out matches, but their dire game management gave Feyenoord hope that they didn’t deserve after they very much looked their distinctly average fourth-best team in the Eredivisie selves.
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It would have been embarrassing enough for Man City had it finished 3-2, but any remaining confidence they had built earlier in the game evaporated instantly as Feyenoord miraculously scored an equaliser with a minute of normal time to spare.
A simple lofted ball over the top of Man City’s defence was all that was required to leave the home players in no man’s land; a panicked Ederson sprinted out of his goal to meet Igor Paixao only to have the ball nipped away and the winger’s cross was expertly converted at the back post by David Hancko.
It was bedlam at the Etihad. Their uninspiring performance did not warrant a 3-0 win and the home team was deservedly punished for criminal play in the latter stages as they insisted on shooting themselves in the foot time and time again.
It was not a sixth consecutive defeat for Man City and Guardiola, but they will be feeling worse after this draw than after any narrow loss.
Guardiola, his players and Man City’s supporters are on the floor, so it’s a good job for them that there is only the small matter of a trip to Anfield in a vital Premier League title six-pointer against Liverpool on Sunday. Gulp.
Arne Slot’s side – especially Mohamed Salah braced with the prospect of facing a wounded Gvardiol – will be licking their lips ahead of playing this broken Man City, who are at serious risk of being eaten alive by their rivals in the dragons’ den at Anfield.
If Man City supporters thought this was bad, they better get ready for what’s to come at the weekend if Guardiola doesn’t suddenly magic up a formula for their current ineptitude. It could get very, very ugly.