It’s wrong to suggest circumstances are helping Manchester City sail to the title
Manchester City
By Sam Lee Jan 2, 2022 220
There’s a perception that Manchester City have glided through the COVID-19-affected Christmas calendar — or that they have even benefitted from it.
Yes, Pep Guardiola’s side are 11 points clear at the top of the table but the reality of the past couple of weeks is somewhat different.
Had City dropped points against Arsenal, as it looked like they might before an uncharacteristic late win, it would have been easier to reflect on some of the things that haven’t gone their way recently. It would be easier to understand their fatigue and to consider their players who are “not fully fit”.
But because they won and because of how the match developed, sympathy will be in short supply.
Arsenal, Manchester City
Rodri scores City’s winner at Arsenal (Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
It is worth pointing out, though, that things have not been quite as they seem.
This is not to say that City have been worse off than the average club. They have got a lot of good players and a manager who knows how to use them. They have not been ravaged like Norwich, who had only a handful of senior outfield players in training at the end of last week, or Leicester City, facing an FA Cup tie against Watford next weekend without 13 first-team players.
But the idea that City have been unaffected by the pandemic over the festive period — or even that they might have benefitted — is wrong.
Thomas Tuchel has said the situation at Chelsea is “unfair” and that’s not being disputed here. Tuchel can handle the situation as he likes. Jurgen Klopp, who will miss Liverpool’s match against Chelsea on Sunday with a suspected case of COVID-19, is not happy either (although his complaints about City haven’t always been necessary, or right). Their comments have fuelled the perception that City have enjoyed a charmed life.
Guardiola is often sarcastic and knows how to make a point without outright complaining, but he has kept quiet and got on with the job. That has allowed an alternative version of events to develop.
City have kept quiet as a club, too, and have possibly not done themselves any favours. Players have missed games mysteriously and the official version is that they are “not fully fit”. At a time when the sporting headlines have been dominated by positive COVID-19 results, City haven’t warranted a mention.
But in an honest post-match press interview following the victory at Arsenal, Guardiola shed light on the situation for the first time.
“Just take a look at our bench today, it was four guys from the academy,” he said of Cole Palmer, Luke Mbete, James McAtee and Kayky, who was signed from Fluminense but is an academy player.
“We had many cases of COVID-19 this season, and injuries… Phil Foden (was not in the squad)… Kyle Walker (an unused substitute) and Rodri, today was the first day since the last COVID time. Today we were incredibly tired, mentally and physically, and Arsenal were better today.”
John Stones has been out, too, and Guardiola confirmed that Oleksandr Zinchenko also has COVID-19. “We are struggling like all the teams all around the world,” he said. “Hopefully it goes soon.”
Guardiola, Manchester City
Guardiola’s side have had plenty of problems to deal with over the Christmas period (Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s midweek game was postponed owing to COVID-19 cases in the Wolves camp, so they rested while City played a tough game at Brentford. Guardiola’s side flew back to Manchester in the early hours of Thursday and then flew back to London on Friday.
Joao Cancelo played with a cut on his head after he was hit during a burglary two nights ago.
There is no reason to get the violins out, but things have not been as ideal as made out in some quarters.
And that leads us back to the Emirates.
Manager Mikel Arteta could not be there because he has caught the virus, so Arsenal were easily cast as the underdog.
That’s understandable — City are brilliant — but Guardiola’s side had COVID-19 cases in their squad too (more than Arsenal, if we’re counting) and were running out of steam after three games in six days. That’s the context.
And Arsenal were great, not just throughout a fine first half when they took a deserved lead, but after half-time, too, when they kept on top of City, who looked stymied. Tired, even.
Then, of course, the whole house fell in. Arsenal were undone by their most troublesome foe: Arsenal.
City won a penalty, awarded by the VAR, when Granit Xhaka felled Bernardo Silva. Arsenal hadn’t got a penalty earlier so the atmosphere turned sour — the referee had given a corner when Ederson challenged Martin Odegaard. One replay on the VAR review suggested a foul, other angles suggested a clean tackle. The VAR, flawed as the system is, could find no reason to overrule the referee.
Maybe it was the heat of the moment that did for Arsenal given City had some jitters of their own. Just after the penalty, Aymeric Laporte inexplicably headed the ball over Ederson, only for Nathan Ake to clear off the line. Still, it fell to Gabriel Martinelli, who missed the open goal.
As the television replays showed the miss, Gabriel Magalhaes flattened Gabriel Jesus. He had been booked a minute earlier for dissent when the penalty against Xhaka was rewarded before Riyad Mahrez stepped up to equalise. This time he was booked for dangerous play and he was off.
After that, things descended into pantomime. The Arsenal fans were understandably livid but one TV commentator suggested “it does damage to the game that you can’t repair”, which seemed a little over the top.
That kind of talk continued for the rest of the match, though, and City’s undeserved winner hardly helped with the sense of injustice that continued well into the evening.
City were lucky to win but the perception of how things have played out has been nothing short of hysterical.
The league leaders didn’t play brilliantly. Arsenal did, first when they disrupted City’s rhythm better than any team this season — including the ones who have taken points off them — and then when they composed themselves to keep things tight when they went down to 10 men.
City don’t normally score late goals, either. “We are not a team with this characteristic,” Guardiola said.
It was Laporte, of all people, who assisted the winner. Rodri, two days after returning from COVID-19, had burst into the box and was in the right place to bundle home.
“The coin sometimes falls on your side,” Guardiola said.
It certainly did on Saturday but don’t be fooled into thinking they have not suffered.
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