1 week ago
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Manchester City beat Leeds 3-2 in the Premier League but it was an afternoon that asked a lot of questions about Pep Guardiola's team.
Manchester City survived a second-half fightback by Leeds United to get back to winning ways with a 3-2 victory at the Etihad. City looked to be cruising to victory at half-time. Phil Foden had scored after just 59 seconds, volleying home Matheus Nunes' cross, and Josko Gvardiol doubled the lead for a team who were well on top.
But the game flipped on its head after the break as the Blues imploded. Nunes made a mess of a defensive situation to gift a goal to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Gvardiol conceded a penalty, which allowed Lukas Nmecha to equalise. Foden saved City's blushes in injury time and got them the win they so desperately craved.
The good, the bad and the Nunes
There was a time not so long ago when Nunes would have found himself part of the Wednesday night team, but his circumstances have changed dramatically this season. His days as a midfielder might be numbered but he has made the right-back spot his own.
Nunes showed what a difference he could make inside 60 seconds. He controlled a cross-field pass well, played a one-two with Bernardo Silva and delivered a lovely cross for Foden to open the scoring.
His quality going forward isn't in doubt. It was his third assist of the season and he claimed 11 last term. The questions are about his defensive work and he was the source for Leeds, making this a nervy affair.
Nunes played a poor pass out as City tried to weather some pressure early in the second half and then somehow contrived to lay the ball on a plate for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to tap in, when it looked like Gvardiol had matters under control.
That is why a right-back has to stay high on the agenda for City, either in January or next summer. Nunes has improved this season, but he is never going to be a defensively sound right-back and that will cost you at the highest level.
Defensive disasters
If Nunes was to blame for Leeds' first goal, it was Gvardiol who undid his own good work for the second. That he somehow managed to complain about the penalty decision showed the extent to which heads had gone.
The bizarre thing was that Gvardiol was there to win the ball. But rather than sliding in to do just that and clear away the danger, he let the ball run away from him and wiped out Calvert-Lewin.
It was as blatant as penalty decisions get and a wild bit of defending from Gvardiol. City have to be better than that if they are to challenge for anything this season.
Reijnders stays
It felt like a predictable City team against Leeds, purely because that came in against Bayer Leverkusen all fluffed their lines. In the end there was one survivor from the 10 changes in midweek and that was Tijjani Reijnders, who was the beneficiary of Rayan Cherki's drop-off rather than his own performances.
Reijnders has struggled to kick on from his showings in the early weeks of the season and if most of this team feels settled at the moment, then this is the one position that is really up for grabs.
Bobb out
For the second time in four Premier League games it was Oscar Bobb who was City's 21st man. With only two players injured at the moment, Guardiola is having to leave somebody out every week.
It was Rico Lewis at Newcastle but the fact that Bobb has twice now been the odd man out in recent weeks isn't great for the Norwegian winger, who has a World Cup to aim for next summer.
Bobb has made 46 appearances for City, but that amounts to just 1,703 minutes, which works out at just under 19 full games. That isn't a lot of experience for a 22-year-old.
He was unfortunate to have last season written off with injury but is now at the point where he needs to be playing more often. If his path remains blocked at the Etihad and he continues to struggle to even get in squads then he might need to consider a loan move.
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