Aston Villa make City’s crisis worse

He Aston Villa of Unai Emery aggravated the crisis of a city who was a shadow of himself during his visit to Birmingham. Harmless to attack (with Foden and Haaland completely missing), no football in the wide zone (nothing new since Rodri’s injury and co DeBruyne on the bench) and weak at the back, the English champion could not find a response to the approach of Emerywho sought to close all the corridors awaiting a counter that yielded goals from Duran and Rogersone at a time. Fodenin added time, made the result for city.

A city with many changes (among them, those forced by injuries from Ederson and Ruben Diaswhich prolonged a terrible series of physical disasters by Guardiola’s men) and recovered Stones, Kovacic and Akanjileaving DeBruyne and will walk On the bench, he faced the clash with an unprecedented scenario of just one victory in the last eleven games. There are already twelve this Saturday.

But too many revolutions did not stop Guardiola start with fear: after 17 seconds he had it Duran after the inexplicable disappearance of Guardiol which left the Colombian alone then Ortega Morenowho put out a golden hand to send it into the corner. And on his departure, Pau Torres At the near post he finished a header to force another saving hand from the German when the ball had crossed the line 80% or more and that increased to get it again for a second consecutive corner kick . They are a two-minute nightmare that bodes well for the citizens.

The current champion was not impressed and, with the approval of those Unai Emery, with control of the game, finding gaps in the local defense and testing the team for the first time. ‘Dibu’ Martínez at 12 to Kovacic. But the tactics worked well for the ‘villains’, who led 16 with a textbook counterattack and the vertical as the only direction: ‘draw’ for Tielemansperfect pass from Belgian to Rogersrunning parallel to Durán gave him the ball so that, alone, he could ‘shoot’ Ortega Moreno: 23% property is enough for Villa to be first.

After the goal the previous scenario returns, with the Villa lean back and Oily as the most active player and almost the only offensive source of the ‘blue’ attack. He city cannot put the local defense in trouble, except at 35′, when Foden appeared for the first time for a cross shot that the ‘draw’ turned into a corner. And at 43′, Oilyon his eleventh cross from the left, found Guardiol as a finisher, but his header went wide.

The decoration is slightly altered in continuation, with a Cash who drilled a shot (48′) to send it into the side of the net in another dizzying start to the local counter-attack. Two offsides later nullified the 2-0 of Duran: he trembles city with each release of Villa. And at 59′, Rogers He sent it to the stumps of the right post Ortega.

The Mancunians were a shadow of themselves, unable to find a way to replicate the local approach and even losing possession in the second half. And at 65′ Rogers He did justice by finishing another (the umpteenth) against the local team to make it 2-0 with a left-footed cross.

It is diluted city in forced marches, shipwreck in front of a local eleven that swam willingly in the Villa Park pool, gaining meters with each approach with almost no opposition from the ‘blue’ side. He reacted Guardiola use of Savino through Gundogan in search of balance, depth and coherence. Foden disguised the result in a goal in added time, which did not erase the impression that it had city A long road awaits him to regain his identity.

TECHNICAL SHEET

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Pau Torres, Digne; Chamber, Onana; Rogers (Buendía, 90’+1), Tielemans, McGinn; Durán (Watkins, 80′)

Manchester City: Ortega Moreno; Lewis, Akanji, Stones (Walker, 46′), Gvardiol; Kovacic (Doku, 84′), Gundogan (Savinho, 72′); Bernardo Silva, Foden, Grealish; Haaland

Objectives: 1-0, Durán (16′); 2-0, Rogers (65′); 2-1, Foden (90′ + 3)

Referee: Peter Banks. TA on Cash (37′), Lewis (47′), Gvardiol (84′), Grealish (87′).