Manchester City’s recent travails have penetrated so deeply into the wider public consciousness that they were featured in political primetime a few Fridays ago.
Football doesn’t often make its way into Have I Got News For You and yet, as the panel discussed how a high percentage of Manchester residents were not working, Paul Merton suggested this number was increased by Pep Guardiola’s selection. With a big old grin.
Merton is apparently a Tottenham supporter. A knowing smile followed. Either a well-informed audience or the slump has generated significant interest among casuals. Almost certainly the latter.
However long this lasts, the fall of those who have been in charge of it for so long will always fascinate – more than anything from the perspective of human interest.
Fascination that Guardiola clearly doesn’t care about as he makes his way through this rocky area. One that has now brought us to the point where City were ordered by the manager to play ‘a thousand million passes’ to restore some semblance of calm.
Calm down, this wasn’t it. They will leave Italy on Thursday morning having lost a seventh game in ten games, which they have really given away. They were 22nd in the 36-team Champions League without any reasonable hope of reaching the top eight. So it’s two games left in February, if they even make it to the play-off round. Oh, and it’s an injured Manchester United’s turn on Sunday.
Weston McKennie delivered an excellent strike to Manchester City’s home win
The visitors have now lost seven of their last 10 matches as sluggish form entered Europe
Pep Guardiola’s players did not perform particularly poorly or disobey orders, but were brought down with little effort in Turin
The worst part of this was that City had not even performed particularly badly and had not carried out Guardiola’s instructions.
By telling his team to get back to basics, play a ‘simple’ game, Guardiola unleashed his inner James Carville this week. It’s the passes, stupid. City have not been nearly economical enough with the ball in recent weeks and have not recycled with the patience for which they are known.
The message was heeded, with City playing square balls, often without much risk, to take Juventus out. The Italians largely stayed exactly where they were, thank you very much. It led to something of a stalemate.
Hurried is, in fact, what Guardiola had called his team – in stark contrast to the opposition’s generally forensic investigation. That, more than anything, is an indictment on the current team.
And as the results became increasingly worrying in November, his players looked irritated and tried to break down doors that only needed to be knocked. It has led to more frantic matches and they walked into a fiery Allianz Arena fearing the same.
Only sixth in Serie A, Juventus are draw specialists under Thiago Motta – a young midfielder who came through at Barcelona as Guardiola’s time came to an end – and the intrigue surrounding their patchy form has been a similar topic of discussion here as in City’s homeland. Motta wants to control games the way the man to his right always has, even though this may not have been the right night for it.
They waited for opportunities to win possession high up the pitch. City will give you that in this current guise and Rico Lewis’ indecision at left-back offered a spark for Francisco Conceicao. One of Ederson’s botched clearances caused a brief panic.
“Everyone is involved to change the dynamics a little bit, that’s all,” Guardiola said to explain why the Brazilian came in from the cold after three games on the bench. Given the ongoing injuries, this is the only real position in which Guardiola can influence meaningful changes, having given Stefan Ortega the chance to see if that would change their fortunes.
Under Thiago Motta, Juventus has become a draw specialist and played a cagey first half
The hosts punished their English guests for missed chances as the deadlock continued
But Dusan Vlahovic proved the difference eight minutes into the second half to give Juventus the lead on Wednesday
Erling Haaland came close five minutes before half-time, but was unable to clear the chance
Kevin De Bruyne also tried to make a comeback on foreign soil, but was unable to finish
Guardiola’s side are still lacking in confidence and look dangerously close to missing out on the knockout qualification for the Champions League.
It made no real difference, with City still giving up chances that could be punished in Turin. No great chances, but that Guardiola wants out and believes a calmer approach to their build-up play will prevent this. Turkey’s teenage sensation Kenan Yildiz went one effort wide as Ederson scrambled and later beat Kyle Walker to almost set up an opener.
However, there was a reminder of what this team can do. Erling Haaland spotted Michele Di Gregorio’s whites five minutes before half-time and owed it all to Kevin De Bruyne, whose extraordinary reverse pass sent Juventus tripping over their own feet – the obvious ball initially appearing to be for Bernardo Silva on the right – only for Haaland to not quite lift the chip properly. Guardiola rubbed his face. If you do less, you leave a trace.
Dusan Vlahovic made his eight minutes in the second half, Juventus led and City did not help themselves. Federico Gatti’s sweet volley was kept out by Ederson, but Josko Gvardiol could only move into space, allowing another cross to flow in. Vlahovic nestled between the defenders and headed straight at Ederson. The force was so great that it dragged the goalkeeper behind the line.
Another avoidable moment in a long, long list now, with Ederson failing to hold on to a vicious cross from Yildiz and almost donating a second. Rico Lewis, Jeremy Doku and Bernardo Silva’s efforts were all blocked at the other end as City continued to try and pick locks in a way we haven’t seen much of in the past month. De Bruyne shot wide from distance, Doku couldn’t quite make out Haaland – he went from far away when the striker had jumped to the nearest – and Di Gregorio tipped Ilkay Gundogan’s curler wide.
The final disgrace came fifteen minutes from time when Weston McKennie whipped home Timothy Weah’s clever cross. That’s Weston McKennie who left Leeds United after 20 fairly hopeless performances.