The back four that had started five of Manchester City’s previous ten games—and had come to represent Pep Guardiola’s favourite defensive configuration—started the team’s victory over Fulham.
However, after making two replacements, Guardiola was using his third defensive formation at the end of the game. Adama Traore was something that City never fully understood, which is why there were three formation changes.
Additionally, City had conceded first in three of its four Premier League home games before the Fulham match. In the other, Arsenal took just 22 minutes to tie the score. After trailing Arsenal, City rallied to defeat Ipswich, Brentford, and Fulham and tie with Arsenal. They also won easily against West Ham, where 19 minutes in, City allowed an equaliser to be scored. They fight admirably, seldom falling behind for very long.
After five minutes, they were tied with Ipswich, and two minutes after that, they took the lead. They had fallen to Brentford in the first minute, but by the half-hour, they were ahead 2-1. Six minutes later, Mateo Kovacic eliminated Pereira, and City took the lead right out of the half.
Even against West Ham, Erling Haaland gave them an 11-minute lead back after being pushed back, and the Blues scored a late goal in the Community Shield to force penalties seven minutes after Alejandro Garnacho appeared to have won it. The only two games that stand out are the one against Arsenal, where City required a late goal to tie the score after trailing, and the draw against Newcastle, where they were unable to find a winner.
While City’s goals vary, they are all attributed to their fast changes of direction, mass attacks by the opponent, and frequent middle-of-the-field arrivals. And, most concerning of all, defences turning off at the wrong time.
More generally, after keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea on the first day of the Premier League, City has conceded in their last six games. Guardiola expressed little alarm when questioned about the emerging trend following Brentford’s victory. He acknowledged that the issues might be “structural” after Fulham.
“It’s not nice to have to come back, but we’ve played very well in every game,” he stated. Who could have predicted that brilliant back-heel pass from [Raul] Jimenez? We indeed need to defend some activities more effectively, but we will become better gradually.
In a structural sense, perhaps. Perhaps we produce more and give in more. Even an hour after full time in his news conference, he was still unable to pinpoint what had gone wrong against Fulham. “I have an international break to reflect,” he said.
“I’m going to watch games [during the break], but aside from the last ten or fifteen minutes, it was, for instance, Adama Traore’s first action—a one-on-one match where Rico Lewis had a long ball and was in front of him. additionally, after he expects him. Of course, that is an error when that occurs. It’s the kind of thing where you have to be superior.
“You’re right, but we are a team more accustomed to playing and concentrating on these kinds of things. They score goals, therefore you have to make an effort to improve. You have room to get better. You’re accurate.
Jeremy Doku dismissed defensive concerns from the players’ viewpoint, stating: “Obviously it’s more difficult, teams are getting better.” For this reason, we have a coach. On the pitch, we simply want to perform as well as we can.”
Of course, Doku’s main duty is to attack, but he also has to maintain possession of the ball higher up the pitch and steer clear of transitions that could allow the opposition to counterattack. Nonetheless, he insisted that the problems are not the result of City not being turned on from the beginning.
Regarding City’s focus, he remarked, “I feel so [we are switched on from the start].” “But it’s evident that we occasionally gave up early, as against Brentford or Ipswich. We can work on that subject, perhaps, but I believe we should focus right away. Although events do occur occasionally, they never define who we are or how we approach games.”
Kovacic, a fellow goal scorer, showed no anxiety whatsoever about the defensive record. It takes place. It was a wonderful pass and goal today,” he said. “We are unable to defend this at times. The good news is that we changed the game by returning with strength and a different mindset. For us, this is a crucial component.
Guardiola may not be able to identify the exact reason why City continues to let up goals in the first half, but he is aware of one that has nothing to do with Rodri’s injury.
“I think it’s so easy to say this analysis,” he stated. “With him, we’ve already drawn two games, and without him, we’ve won every one of them. If there is just one player and he consistently makes mistakes, he won’t play in the [next] game. It’s easy. You have to be successful if you own a business. However, that is untrue.
“Perhaps I should consider the objectives, my perception of normalisation, transition, and set pieces. We lose this power without Rodri because, well, he’s another person who is strong in this role. But we’ll just have to get by without him as we try to improve with the ball. And sure, to be more consistent, we will communicate, observe, and reflect on what we miss.”
Guardiola is not a big fan of international breaks because they throw off the flow and make injuries more likely for players who are playing abroad. But this one couldn’t have arrived at a better moment if it allowed him to formulate a plan to strengthen the defence.
