Man City’s defensive woes on display after thriller vs. Spurs

MANCHESTER, England – It's difficult to win anything with an unreliable defense, so Pep Guardiola has work to do if Manchester City wants to get any closer to repeating last season's treble this time around.

Eight goals conceded in three games, and the lead surrendered six times in those matches, are the sort of statistics usually associated with Erik ten Hag's out-of-form Manchester United rather than Manchester City, but they are the reality of the game. Guardiola's side right now after Tottenham ended their three-game losing streak to draw 3-3 at the Etihad on Sunday.

These are unusual times at City. It is the first time they have gone three Premier League matches without a win since March-April 2017, and it was back to November 2009 that City last led in three successive league matches and failed to win. to gain none. as Guardiola's men did against Chelsea (4-4), Liverpool (1-1) and now Spurs.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)

And things could get worse before they get better. City travel to Aston Villa – one point behind in fourth place – on Wednesday, with Unai Emery's side having won their last seven home games. City will face them without Rodri, whose yellow card against Spurs earned him a one-match suspension, and Guardiola will remember his side losing three games in a row while the Spanish midfielder was suspended earlier this season.

Rodri's absence is a one-game problem that could be solved by Kalvin Phillips, John Stones or Rico Lewis taking his position in front of the back four, but the defensive issues will require more work than just a selection change.

To begin with, City have a problem at left back. Brennan Johnson's pace on the Spurs right was a constant problem for Josko Gvardiol, a central defender playing at left back, and the visitors' first goal came from Son Heung-min who outplayed Jérémy Doku in the left channel from City while Gvardiol struggled to return. following a counterattack. Rúben Dias has also struggled to find form in centre-half, despite being City's most consistent defender since his arrival from Benfica in 2020, and Stones' absence due to injury during the Most of this season has also had an impact on the strength of Guardiola's squad.

It's a problem Guardiola acknowledged after the Spurs game, with the City boss admitting his side must find a way to get consistency and reliability back in defence.

“People say: 'You have to worry about the goals you concede,'” Guardiola said. “Of course, but how many chances do we concede? Almost none. It happens, but hey, let's go. It's a difficult situation, it's the first time we've faced a situation where you play well but where the results do not come. .

“I remember my first season, we played well but we couldn't get results. The only medicine I got was that when you play at the level we are at, you keep doing the same thing. You create more chances, score more goals.”, be more creative than your opponent. Just do good deeds, make good deliveries. Football is sometimes about mistakes, but we are always here,” Guardiola added.

Perhaps City are simply in the middle of a tough run of games against opponents ready and able to attack and cause problems for the champions. Villa are in the same category as Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs, but after City moved to Villa Park their schedule becomes less dangerous with games against Luton, Crystal Palace, Everton and Sheffield United before the end of December.

Guardiola's side are unlikely to face attackers of the caliber of Son or Johnson during this run of games, but their fragility in defense has been exposed by the top teams and their opponents will be ready to deploy the same tactics when of the return legs of the second match. half the season.

City therefore have a challenge that they perhaps did not face last season, as they will face opponents who believe they can beat them. Tottenham, for all their injury problems, held on to that belief despite two deficits at the Etihad and they were rewarded with their equalizer.

“The guys didn't give up until the last whistle and the brilliant work of Brennan [Johnson]incredible cross into the box and obviously Dejan [Kulusevski] “He doesn't usually score with a header, but I'm very proud of him and he's huge,” Son told Sky Sports. “I think this point will give us a lot for the season. I think it's a huge point for the confidence of the team and the players.”

This goal can also bring confidence to other challengers. The city has vulnerabilities and they can be exposed.