Manchester City were carved and sliced open by a reborn Leicester City and Jamie Vardy as Pep Guardiola’s clueless look on the touchline slowly becomes a norm. Bravo must be missing the unnatural comfort of the Nou Camp while Kolarov and the likes would be searching for holes to hide in before they are seen off. In a shocking opening 5 minutes, City were left shell-shocked by the Foxes who raced ahead to a 2-0 lead and a 3-0 lead by the 20th minute. City could never really recover and the match saw another flurry of goals as the match ended 4-2 in favour of the Champions.
Let us take a look at the talking points from the match.
DEFENSIVE CHAOS
A goalkeeper who can pass under pressure. Defenders who cannot receive the passes under pressure. Goalkeeper who can’t save anything hit with pace or swerve. Pep’s plans have gone haywire and letting Joe leave seems to be a big blunder. Stones, if he is for the future, the future seems too far away. Kolarov is not a defender. Sagna is not a centre-back. Otamendi is not a Pep defender while it will be unfair on Zabaleta to perform in the multiple roles he is asked to do now. Kompany can’t get fit. The Catalan has to be given this one year, minimum. But then, he might be off by the end of the 3rd. Have you planned it out , City?
LEICESTER ARE BACK OR DID THE SKY BLUES MAKE THEM LOOK GOOD?
You could be forgiven for thinking that it was the 2015-16 season all over again. As the long ball over the top found Mahrez and he laid it off to Vardy and the mass’s hero Vardy ran and ran and finished it with aplomb. 4-0 up at one point of the match with a Vardy hat-trick included, Leicester were on fire. But the fact City don’t have a defence cannot be discounted for. And the Foxes will themselves want to win their next match to measure themselves against a defence which can actually defend.
MANCHESTER CITY BACK TO SQUARE ONE
The team was toiling and somehow laboured to the 4th spot on goal difference last season. Players were supposed to be over aged and the dynamism of some of the others teams put their fitness levels and skills to test and more often than not to the hammer. Pep was touted to have a complete overhaul and although he did change, the quantity was not anywhere close to the expectation people had. But going by the last month and a half, change is inevitable in the summer. Only Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling and Gundogan look untouchable while the suspended Aguero and Fernandinho also make the cut. Players like Stones will stay but it will be for their price more than anything else.
