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With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

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Suggested reading time|5 minutes

4-4 Chelsea, 1-1 Liverpool, two draws in a row is not a disaster for reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, but Pep Guardiola's side have clearly suffered a bit of chaos. Conceding four points in two games is the result, but in concrete terms, City's loss of control is a problem. Against Chelsea, Rodri put the score on top in the 86th minute but it wasn't enough to bring the Blues back three points from Stamford Bridge, while Manchester City, who had led the majority of the game at home to Liverpool, were also unable to hold back and were held to a draw by Liverpool.

With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

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Here's an interesting statistic: Manchester City are still the team with the highest possession rate in the Premier League this season, averaging 62.3 per cent per game, but this figure is not particularly obvious compared to other teams, with Brighton in second place also having 61.2 per cent. Considering the overall disparity in strength of the Seagulls, it is even more obvious that Manchester City's "control" is not as good as before. In fact, Manchester City's possession rate this season is the lowest since Pep Guardiola took over.

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In the 2017-18 season, the year Pep Guardiola lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time, Manchester City's average possession rate in the Premier League was as high as 71.94%, which can be said to be completely around the opponent. The second highest was in the 2021-22 season at 68.21%, and the Blue Moon was also the Premier League champion. As for last season, when the treble was won, the team also had more than 65% possession on the premise of adding a regular center forward Haaland and objectively needing to play more directly. Obviously, this year's data has dropped a little bit more.

With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

So, what is the reason for the blue moon, which originally kept the ball on its feet and the opponent couldn't grab it, to give up part of the ball? For both Chelsea and Liverpool, City's midfield mix is very different from previous seasons: Gundogan is long gone, Kevin De Bruyne has been out for a long time, and the only midfielders who like to toss and turn and torment opponents with passes are Bernardo Silva and Rodri. Looking at the bench and excluding pure defensive players (there are actually two goalkeepers) and unknown youngsters, it seems that the available alternatives for the Reds are Calvin Phillips, John Stones and Rico Lewis, the first two of which have never been trusted by Guardiola, and the other is said to have not recovered from an injury.

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There are no longer so many "embroidery" manpower, and naturally it is impossible to maintain the same tiki-taka game. That's not to say that other starting options aren't okay, as Doku, Julián Alvarez and Foden are all top-notch young talents, but they are young and energetic, both mentally and technically, and want to play faster and more direct. Doku, in particular, is an energetic Belgian winger with unrivalled explosiveness, and his first reaction to the ball is to get past people, change direction and create chances.

With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

Is that a good way of thinking? Of course, as England legend Danny Murphy praised: "Doku's dribble break shows his talent. Never before has Guardiola had such a direct attacker since Raheem Sterling. 'The stats speak for themselves, with the Belgian having 12 successful dribbles in this game, which is breathtaking. On the other hand, more risk-taking means more possession and more turnovers, which is of course a disadvantage.

In most people's impressions, Guardiola seems to prefer a more confident routine, which can be risky but not too risky. That's probably why he brought on Doku in the 59th minute against Chelsea. Grealish prefers to control the ball, which is more in line with the traditional philosophy of Guardias City. However, this choice was not successful, and a single adjustment did not bring the desired effect, and the Blue Moon had lower possession in the second half than in the first 45 minutes, only 2 percentage points higher than the red-eyed Blue Youth Army.

With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

As for Liverpool, Pep Guardiola has no other choice, and Grealish is sick and absent, so the Manchester City manager has completely focused on Doku. The ball tends to be sent down the left and then the Belgian starts to assault and torture the Liverpool defence. Judging by Doku's individual performances, the decision was the right one, and his actual performance was even higher than that of Haaland, who set a record. However, in terms of the result, this choice was not very successful, not only because it only won a draw, but also because the equaliser came from Alexander-Arnold - the Reds' right-back was not completely destroyed, and Doku showed his talent, but also left the opportunity and spare time for the opponent to show his talents.

With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

However, it should be noted that the bad luck against Chelsea and Liverpool does not mean that the faster Manchester City are worse, they are better with more possession, but in this 'style shift', Pep Guardiola's side have clearly not yet found the balance of the tempo. The lack of personnel is also a significant factor, and if City have another steady opportunity to create and spread out the tasks of Doku, then the current slightly chaotic situation may soon be resolved.

With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

The author of this article is Yan Yu

This article was originally published in Sports Plus app

The picture comes from the Internet

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With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?
With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?
With 4 points conceded in 2 rounds, where did Manchester City's control go?

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