Manchester City’s Defense Hits Best Form of the Season, Stones Pushes for High Performance
Manchester City has established a new benchmark for their season secretly. While Erling Haaland received much attention, the defense made significant contributions at the opposite end of the field.
On Tuesday, Erling Haaland’s impressive performance broke several records, which overshadowed other noteworthy aspects of the game. Despite his towering height of 6ft 5, Haaland’s exceptional goal-scoring abilities were the center of attention as he dominated RB Leipzig, scoring five goals in just 60 minutes.
However, it’s essential to recognize the entire team’s contribution, including Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish, and Kevin De Bruyne, who also excelled in the attack, overwhelming their opponents. Furthermore, Rodri played a crucial role in connecting the defense and attack to secure the victory, making the second leg much easier than the first.
A word is needed for the defence too. They may not have had to do too much but the team did not appear to have lost much creativity through playing four centre-backs in the starting XI yet gained a huge amount of stability. Just as at Crystal Palace, there was barely anything for Ederson to do. Having looked unusually shaky in the months after the World Cup and conceding more goals than they are used to, City have sharpened up. The consistency of Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji has been bolstered by the return from injury first of Ruben Dias and then John Stones.
It’s important to also acknowledge the defense, who, although not heavily tested, provided the team with significant stability. Despite playing with four center-backs in the starting lineup, the team’s creativity did not seem to have suffered. In matches like Crystal Palace, the defense was rarely troubled, and goalkeeper Ederson had little to do.
After a less than impressive start to the season, where they conceded more goals than usual, Manchester City’s defense has become more solid. The return of Ruben Dias and John Stones from injury has reinforced the consistency provided by Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji.
The defence has managed to keep clean sheets in four consecutive games, a feat that they had not achieved earlier in the season. This is the best defensive performance statistically speaking throughout the year, which is crucial for a successful team. While the team’s attackers, including Haaland, are expected to score goals, a solid defence is necessary to build a strong foundation for any successful team. Manchester City’s Premier League title wins under Guardiola and their best run in the Champions League were underpinned by a strong defence. Stones mentioned after the 7-0 win over RB Leipzig that the team is motivated to maintain their high levels of performance and mentality in every game, regardless of the opponent.
“That proves the point about how the last game didn’t go as planned and how we wanted it to turn out but tonight we put things right and we keep pushing forward. The mood in the dressing room after that first leg wasn’t the best and we felt we could have done more but that’s what winners and our kind of team has: never satisfied and always wanting more.
“I believe we can go a long way and we do just have to keep performing like tonight, keep showing who we are as a team and our way of playing and stick to what we believe in. That comes right from the top down.”
It has been a rocky road this season with the World Cup proving a major hurdle to overcome, but the signs are there from back to front that City are now pointing in the right direction.
Discussion about this post