Manchester City: New generation with talents and entrances on the advance

Such a list has probably never existed at Manchester City in the Premier League. The club’s game report sheet read on Wednesday evening as if the names of the starting XI with those on the replacement bank had been exchanged. The initial formation consisted almost exclusively of talents and entrances. Instead, the long -time supports of the team were suddenly reservists: Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish, Nathan Aké and Phil Foden – everyone was sitting outside in the league game at Tottenham Hotspur. The first five were part of the Champions League winner from 2023, and Foden was substituted for the injured de Bruyne in the final after a few minutes. Their overall market value still amounts to 320 million euros.

Coach Pep Guardiola’s personnel election suggested that City would contest a test match against an amateur association. The series master was an important away game for the new Champions League qualification. Nevertheless, Guardiola did without his exceptional players – or: He probably did it that is exactly why. Because the Catalan, in which new players often have to prove themselves over a longer period of time, should have assessed the chances of success for his team this time without the participation of the prominent but shaped professionals. And at least he didn’t go wrong with that.

Because City defended the fourth place in the twelfth minute by 1-0 (1-0) in Tottenham, secured by striker Erling Haaland. This would justify this to participate in the premier class, provided that the English representatives do not earn an additional fifth starting stroke due to their good performance in the European Cup. This season, seven clubs are fighting for these lucrative places in the chase field of the Premier League. The distance between the city and the tenth -placed Aston Villa is only five points.

Marmoush, Doku and Savinho always look for the direct path to the goal in attack

Compared to the tired performances of the past few months, Guardiola’s team had a replacement in the first half on Wednesday, she was spraying with energy and zest for action. The coach called three winter access to the starting eleven, the central defender Abdukodir Khusanov (RC Lens), the ball distributor Nico González (FC Porto) and the attacker Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt). Except for the established Rúben Diaz and Haaland, all other city field players had only joined the club over the past two and a half years. The eleven had almost nothing in common with the recent team. And even the strategy that has been fixed for possession under Guardiola so far. The city game looked as quick and straightforward as it hasn’t been for a long time. This was also due to the new young series of attacks from Haaland, Marmoush, Jeremy Doku and Savinho, who always targeted the direct path to the goal.

The Guardian Packed his praise in the question of where this version of City had finally “hidden”. Guardiola was also taken with his talents and promised them a “brilliant future”. He rang the beginning of a new generation after recently proclaiming the end of the old guard. Guardiola said it was a reality that some players could no longer cope with the current rhythm of play. Since the steep departure of the team started with a league cup defeat in Tottenham in October, it is now hoped that success itself will be a kind of discontinued zone. During this period, there were 14 defeats for the City Club City in 27 competitive games.

When asked whether one was as good as before, Guardiola replied that this was not possible for the time being because the old team was too good for it. Some of the veterans will probably come back on Saturday: in the FA Cup against the second division club Plymouth.