Josep Guardiola has always been football’s great entertainer – Manchester City reached a new level after Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Fulham
Pep Guardiola has always been a great entertainer. But even by his standards, Manchester City are aiming for new heights this season.
It’s more chaos than control, but City’s title challenge is a bone-chilling ride.
City’s incredible nine-goal thriller against Fulham on Tuesday night had it all. Erling Haaland has scored his 100th Premier League goal in record time. Phil Foden is wearing a brace to mark his return. They continued to be sensational.
But they were very open defensively. That means we probably won’t get much defense in midfield, not just because of the back four, but because of Guardiola’s natural attacking instincts.
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And, of course, they are without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, the best holding midfielder in the world. No one is complaining because when you create such good and entertaining soccer, you deserve to be praised.
Despite giving up a two-goal lead against Leeds on Saturday and ultimately winning 3-2, this is the story of their season.
These are shipping targets. They look like a team in transition. But they are getting results and are putting pressure on Arsenal.
That’s right, Arsenal. The exact opposite of City. Mikel Arteta’s side are defensively strong, control games and at times play very disciplined. Of course they love set pieces. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But this title race is a tale of two diametrically opposed ones. The city is just amazing and so much fun to see. Arsenal’s biggest obstacle may be the number of games they play.
However, the question arises as to whether they can play like City and win the title. They’re not new to this. They have won six titles under Guardiola’s reign. And don’t bet on them winning their seventh championship this season.
Few prayed for them, mainly because of last season’s inconsistency and weak defense.
They haven’t really solved this problem. They miss Rodri. They have yet to sign a natural right-back, which is a clear flaw.
But they’re really fun to watch. Years from now we will look back on what a genius Guardiola was. He already has a huge amount of credit. But this manager is without a doubt the greatest manager of the Premier League era.
And in an age when everyone is obsessed with throw-ins and control, he takes off the handbrake.
When asked after the Fulham game if he had ever been involved in such a match, he looked completely bewildered. “Yes, of course.” When? “Barcelona. We were down 3-0, but won 4-3.”
I don’t know if that was a question for Pep. This man was a born entertainer. City look like they could be Arsenal’s closest challenger. they have experience. They have quality.
And it’s so fun to watch.
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