Premier League: City back in title race but midfield may let them down

A couple of wins has Manchester City back in the title race and are now tucked in behind Arsenal just five points behind the leaders after the midweek games.

Six points from a possible six, in their last two games while scoring eight goals in the process would indicate all is well for the Eastlands outfit’s bid to mount this title race. But when you consider they conceded six goals in those last two matches and were preceded by a morale sapping defeats to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle in the Premier League, and you begin to wonder how stable is this City side and whether Pep Guardiola has got this team in a real position to challenge for the title?

Losing 'Leeds'

Last weekend, City hosted a Leeds United struggling to stay out of the relegation quagmire and initially the game went to script for the meeting of a top three side with a club facing the drop. And Phil Foden had the 2023 champions one up within the first minute, while a Gvardiol strike on 25 minutes had them cruising to the expected win. And while City had some chances, they didn’t really kill off the game, but few would have seriously predicted a Leeds comeback. (Maybe we would after what they did to Chelsea on Wednesday). Anyway, City looked in control, that was until a bumbling mix-up between Ruben Dias and Gvardiol in the City defence, just after break, allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin a free ball to poke into the City net, while the defenders stumbled all over the ball. Things got worse for City when they gave away a penalty after the hour mark which was dispatched from the rebound off Gianluigi Donnarumma’s save.

Leeds had their chances to win it but on 91 minutes, a rejuvenated in form Foden was on hand to claim a winner for City breaking many Yorkshire hearts.

Fulham fallout

The stumble by City on Tuesday night was even more stark. Goals by Erling Haaland. Tijani Reijnders, an own goal and a brace again from the Foden had City in what should have been an insurmountable 5-1 lead before the hour, with only a solitary Emile Smith Rowe response just before the break from the West Londoners.

But the second half, as was the case with Leeds, belonged to the opposition and the Cottagers showed a hunger and desire to fight that rarely if ever exists in a side that is 5-1 down. The big question, as with the Leeds match, remains why City couldn’t maintain control of a game that seemed in the bag?

While the defence can take a share of the blame in some of the goals, by fluffing their lines, it was the inability of the midfield to impose themselves on the game that let them down, especially in the Fulham game. That, and the Londoners’ amazing refusal to die.

The continuing long-term absence of Rodri and the injury of Mateo Kovacic has seen big gaps appear right through the middle of the field opening up pressure on the defence and an over reliance on Nico Gonzalez and an expectation on Bernardo Silva and Linders to step up on their holding defensive duties for which they are mostly unsuited.

Bad call at midfield

Looking back, taking off Conzalez when the score was at 5-2 looked like a big mistake. Shoring up the defence by bringing on John Stones may have seemed logical, but it then surrendered the midfield entirely to Fulham and the consequences quickly unfolded.

Conceding three goals in a 21 minute period – two from the marvellous substitute Samuel Chukwueze, after Alex Iwobi's stunning 25-yarder – is not what a title contender tends to do when dominant in a game. It also runs the risk of not surviving the inevitable onslaught coming on the midfield and defence should the attack ever fail to run up the scoreline.

Now City fans can point to Haaland hitting the inside of the post twice as evidence that they could and should have won by more on Tuesday, but forgets the fact that Gvardiol was required to clear a certain Fulham equaliser off the line on the 96th minute. In what would have been probably the most outrageous comeback in Premier League history if it had gone in.

Mackem mayhem

This afternoon, City will face a Sunderland side fresh off a stirring draw away to Liverpool on Wednesday night and just two weeks after they more impressively drew away to Arsenal. City can take little comfort so for being at home and the midfield will have their hands full again with the Black Cats striking ability to turn defence into a lightning counterattack.

City remain in a good position to challenge for the title, but their midfield frailty may prove costly. We will see, starting this afternoon against Sunderland.