After Manchester City lost to Newcastle on Tuesday night, it looked as if all the talk of a two-team title chase might have been a little premature. But Pep Guardiola’s men bounced back in style Sunday morning, dispatching Arsenal 3-1 to keep themselves in striking distance of league leaders Liverpool.
While it ended up winning with ease, a City win didn’t look like a certainty for much of the first half. In fact, the fans could’ve been forgiven for feeling deja vu after the team failed to capitalize on an early Sergio Aguero goal for the second game in a row. Ten minutes after the Argentinian kicked off the scoring in the game’s opening minute, Arsenal Laurent Koscielny answered with a header to knot things up. What looked like a possible bloodbath quickly turned into something else, with Arsenal growing into the game as the half went on giving its supporters, and Liverpool fans, reason to hope.
But just before the end of the half, it was Aguero with another goal, courtesy of a lovely pass from Raheem Sterling, to make sure Arsenal wouldn’t repeat Newcastle’s midweek comeback. Giving away a goal is always deflating, but this one was doubly so for an Arsenal squad that had worked so hard to give itself a chance at a victory in the second. Arsenal never recovered after the interval and when Aguero finished up his hat-trick right before the hour-mark, the game was over.
With the win, what could have been a nightmare week for City turned into a wash. The out-of-nowhere loss to Newcastle hurt, but Liverpool’s draw with Leicester the next day limited the damage to only one dropped point, and if Liverpool doesn’t win on Monday against West Ham, Pep’s men could even pick up a point or two on the Reds. But no matter what, they’ve kept up the pressure on their title rivals with 13 games to go.
But while the week didn’t end as bad as it could have, that doesn’t mean City should breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Something feels off about the team right now. Thanks to Wednesday’s loss, it’s already dropped as many points as it did all of last season. Yes, last year’s side were record breakers but with a third of the season left, it’s worth wondering why.
There are issues all over the field for City at the moment. While Aguero’s scoring at will right now, the rest of the offense isn’t clicking the way it usually does. A lot of that is because injuries have kept Kevin De Bruyne out of the lineup for stretches of the season. In the midfield, it has found no one to ease the pressure on the excellent Fernandinho who at 33 is struggling to single-handedly provide the team’s grit and toughness week in week out. And the defense, which has always been the team’s weak spot, still appears to be. It’s usually been shielded by the team’s relentless attack, but with the offense slightly out of whack, team’s have been able to go right at the team’s back four more, and it’s struggled.
Guardiola is not immune to the struggles that seem to be affecting his team, either. While last year’s side always seemed to know what to do whatever the situation, that doesn’t seem to be the case this season. City can still crush teams, even good ones, but this season’s version seems completely lost when things go south, with the manager unable to change his tactics on the fly.
Of course, it’s important to remember that although it has yet to reach the heights of last season, City is still in the hunt for four different trophies. And in the competition where it’s struggling most, the league, it’s only two points back of Liverpool, which is having its best season in decades (though that number will stretch to five if the Reds can defeat West Ham). But when you become the first team in Premier League history to break the hundred-point barrier and win the league by a staggering 19 points, people expect a lot from you. City knows that better than anyone else, the question is, can it rediscover last year’s championship form before its too late.
Goal of the Week
Gonzalo Higuain, Chelsea
Higuain’s first league game at Chelsea didn’t go as planned, with the Blues getting rocked by a struggling Bournemouth side 4-0 on Wednesday. Things went much better on Saturday, Chelsea defeating bottom dwellers Huddersfield 5-0. The team’s new forward looked particularly impressive, scoring two beautiful goals, the second of which you can watch above, that will give manager Maurizio Sarri and the fans hope that the Argentinian’s time in London will be fruitful.
Substitute of the Week
Black cat, Everton
An already disappointing Everton season seemed to get even worse during Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Wolves. But as bad as the team’s play may have been, the Goodison Park faithful did at least have reason to cheer when a black cat snuck onto the field just after the hour mark. Spending two minutes wandering around the field to its heart’s content, at least someone had a good time.