Manchester City’s bid for a fourth consecutive Premier League title traveled to Craven Cottage on Saturday lunchtime, with Pep Guardiola’s side knowing a victory would put them above Arsenal in the table.
Fulham started brightly but could only hold on until the 13th minute when a 19-pass move was converted by Josko Gvardiol – yet another important goal via the Croatian’s weaker right foot.
It was a similar story in the second half: some pressure from the home side… and then 13 minutes later it was 2-0, with FWA Player of the Year Phil Foden scoring with his foot. weaker this time. With 20 minutes to go, Gvardiol (with – yes – his right foot) made it 3-0 with a rushed finish at the far post, before a late penalty from Julian Alvarez reduced D’s once powerful advantage. Arsenal on goal difference at just two.
Here, Sam Lee answers some of the game’s key questions.
How did Josko Gvardiol become a goal machine?
“There was such an uncertain time,” Guardiola said of Gvardiol last weekend. “It wasn’t really very good.
Guardiola then explained how this is normal for a player new to a league – and we’ve seen it a lot at City. “But we talked, we saw several of his performances, and he understood.”
For much of the season, questions were asked about Gvardiol’s suitability for a left-back role, but there was a growing sense that he would be wasted at centre-back. No doubt in the future he’ll maraud through the middle like John Stones does – once he understands a few more intricacies of Guardiola’s plan – but while he’s learning it, the left-back is doing just fine .
He’s asked to be high and wide, but there are only a few overlaps and crosses – he’s basically just another midfielder, just one out, getting the ball and giving it away, making things happen; a bit like how Jack Grealish was used, without the dribbling.
But Gvardiol’s footwork isn’t bad either, and that showed in his first goal at Fulham. Once he arrived in the area, he showed composure to take a little extra touch before taking his shot.
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
This kind of orientation on the pitch – and the ability to use his right foot – sets him apart from many players, especially defenders.
He had some problems at first; Guardiola explained how Gvardiol always tried to be too creative in possession, giving the ball away, and defensively he was also caught off guard. But those problems have been minimized in recent months and he appears the ideal option for Guardiola’s muscular yet technical backline.
Add in a few goals, just like the two here or the screamers against Real Madrid and Luton Town, and you have a very special player – even if he turned down the chance to become the first defender in Premier League history to score a hat-trick. after City were awarded a penalty in injury time.
De Bruyne’s knack for collecting almost unnoticed assists continued, playing his part in Gvardiol’s goal by completing the one-two with the rampaging full-back.
In the same way that Erling Haaland often scored a hat-trick in the first half almost from stealth, De Bruyne continues to appear with decisive contributions even when he is not splitting defenses with through balls or bending the crosses towards the back post.
(Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
It was this ability to combine the most outrageous efforts with the simplest passes that propelled him up the Premier League assist charts during his nine years at City. Now, only Ryan Giggs has more than him in league history – and thanks to a considerably longer career (nearly 27,000 more minutes).
De Bruyne also had the same number of assists as Cesc Fabregas – but with 7,000 fewer minutes.
De Bruyne has nine assists in the Premier League this season, as many as any other City player, and he has only played half of them.
In this game he still looked a lot like Haaland in the sense that he was there inside, moving around, waiting for the right moment to take the ball and make a meaningful contribution, as most of the work in possession was done by those who are positioned deeper and wider.
He could have had even more assists as the game began to open up just before half-time – especially after Manuel Akanji missed an unmarked volley at the far post, while Haaland wasted a good chance at the above the bar. It was the third time De Bruyne had created three Opta-defined ‘big chances’ in a Premier League match this season, two more than any other player in the division.
He was sent off with 15 minutes to go, knowing he had done more than enough.
If the sight of the ball squirming over the line to give City an unassailable 3-0 lead wasn’t enough, then the celebrations would have left no doubt that Guardiola’s side were cruising and seemed far from bothered by the pressure of another title race.
It was Bernardo Silva who delivered the cross to the far post for Gvardiol to transform, weighing and choosing the perfect option on De Bruyne’s little corner.
And Kyle Walker wanted to make sure Bernardo got the credit. As City’s players gathered in front of the jubilant away support (including Noel Gallagher), Walker picked up the Portuguese in what was essentially a fireman’s carry, taking him a good twenty yards from the rest of them. them.
Bernardo is as loved in the dressing room as anyone at City, but everyone is ready for another summer of willpower – given there is a buyout clause in his contract, inserted last year after he agreed to stay – again, but with an eye on the possibility of finally getting out in 2024.
He’s been considering one since 2021 – not that you’d know that given how he put all that aside once the season started and continues to be one of the key cogs in the Guardiola machine.
Farewell time is approaching and it could be emotional when the players go their separate ways for their vacation. Before then, they have three games to play, and if they win them all, they will have won a Premier League and FA Cup double.
So, as usual for Bernardo and the group. And they seem more than happy with it.
(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
What did Pep Guardiola say?
We’ll bring you that after his speech at the post-match press conference.
What future for City?
Tuesday May 14: Tottenham (A), Premier League, 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. ET
City’s final away game of the season at the stadium where they struggle the most to win. Will Spurs want to help Arsenal win the title?
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(Top photo: Getty Images)
News Source : theathletic.com
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