LONDON: Could it be happening again? That’s the question Pep Guardiola is likely to be asking himself, and familiarity can only enhance his frustration.
His Manchester City side could wrap up the league title against Manchester United on Saturday and yet there is a serious danger of the season ending with a sense of anti-climax.
Just as in each of his three campaigns in charge of Bayern Munich, Guardiola has won the league early,. Victory has come too early for there to any great explosion of emotion when it is confirmed. City need to beat United on Saturday to wrap up the title with six games remaining, but even if they don’t, the title will come.
When it does, there will be a nod of satisfaction, debates as to whether City, who are likely to break both points and goalscoring records, are the greatest Premier League champions of all time (quite possibly). Barring something extraordinary in the second leg on Tuesday, there will be a yawning sense of disappointment about what happened at Anfield on Wednesday.
Admission to the highest level of the pantheon demands European success, particularly in an era when a handful of super-clubs have much greater resources than everybody else, with the result that the Champions League has belonged to four countries over the past 14 years.
Since he left Barcelona, Guardiola has kept on failing in the latter stages of the Champions League: Three semifinal defeats with Bayern, a last-16 exit with Manchester City a year ago and now a strong chance of defeat in the quarter-final. Worse, the same pattern keeps being repeated: Three goals conceded in 18 minutes against Real Madrid in 2014, three goals conceded in 17 minutes against Barcelona in 2015, two goals conceded in eight minutes against Monaco last season and three conceded in 21 minutes on Wednesday.
Again and again, Guardiola sides find themselves reeling, the composure that usually characterises them in possession lost as a defense that is better at passing the ball than actually defending is exposed. This is the flaw that keeps undermining him. His side may have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season with just 21 goals conceded in 31 games, but that is a mark of how good they are in possession, how intimidated opponents are, rather than how good they are at the nuts and bolts of defending.
It is a realization Jurgen Klopp came to years ago. As he pointed out after Liverpool’s 4-3 victory over City in January, to sit back and hope they do not convert any of the chances they will inevitably convert is to hope to win the lottery. Far better to take the risk and attack, and to try to expose their defensive vulnerability.
But it is too simple to suggest that everybody should follow the Klopp model. Not everybody has the players to attack, and very few, if any, other teams are quite so quick in transition.
Nonetheless, Liverpool’s success should give other teams hope, and if doubts are beginning to assail Guardiola — as his selection of Ilkay Gundogan over Raheem Sterling on Wednesday in an effort to assert greater control suggests — it is now Jose Mourinho’s job to try to multiply them by upsetting City on Saturday.
United do not have Liverpool’s pace or cohesion, but as long balls to Romelu Lukaku, with Alexis Sanchez and Marcus Rashford feeding on his knockdowns, undid Liverpool, so they may undo City. That would spoil the City party — and push Guardiola into further self-interrogation.
Why Manchester City’s record-breaking season might still feel like failure
Why Manchester City’s record-breaking season might still feel like failure
Al-Fateh grab second win on the trot, Al-Taawoun keep up pressure in title race
- Al-Fateh win 2 consecutive games for the first time this season and move to 11 points
- Al-Taawoun grab late winner against last-placed Al-Najma to stay within 4 points of Al-Nassr
RIYADH: Matchday 12 of the Saudi Pro League got underway on Monday with Al-Khaleej hosting Al-Fateh in the first of the evening’s three fixtures.
Despite producing a strong display in a 3-2 loss to Al-Hilal last week, Al-Khaleej lost 1-0 to Al-Fateh, with Matias Vargas scoring the decisive goal.
Al-Fateh’s strategy was clear: Moroccan midfielder Sofiane Bendebka would be flanked by Mourad Batna and Vargas in a fluid attacking set-up, allowing him to drift between a second-striker role and deeper midfield positions.
The free-flowing forwards enabled Al-Fateh to take control of the final third, with Batna cutting in from the right flank proving to be a dangerous asset in Al-Fateh’s arsenal.
That combination paid dividends in the 41st minute, when Batna delivered a diagonal ball across the pitch to find Vargas, who calmly chipped the ball over Anthony Moris to open the scoring.
It marked the Argentinian’s fourth goal in three matches, with his recent form directly contributing six points — more than half of Al-Fateh’s total this season.
Al-Khaleej were unable to replicate the same intensity shown against Al-Hilal, despite the introduction of club top scorer Joshua King after the break and Pedro Rebocho’s marauding role down the left.
Their clearest opportunity came in the 68th minute, when Rebocho squared the ball to Giorgos Masouras only for his effort to hit the post.
Al-Fateh then adopted a more cautious approach, looking to exploit Al-Khaleej on the counter. They nearly doubled their lead in the 88th minute when Vargas teed up Bendebka, but the midfielder’s powerful backheel crashed against the woodwork.
The defeat marks a slowdown for Al-Khaleej after an encouraging start to the campaign, with this being their third consecutive loss, now leaving them on just 14 points from 11 matches.
Elsewhere, Al-Hazem travelled to the capital to face Al-Riyadh, securing a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Nawaf Al-Habashi and Omar Al-Somah.
The Syrian striker netted his 157th Saudi Pro League goal, extending his lead over Abderazzak Hamedallah at the top of the all-time scoring charts and helping Al-Hazem move further clear of the relegation zone.
In Qassim, third-placed Al-Taawoun edged bottom side Al-Najma in a tightly contested encounter. A late strike from Roger Martinez in the 85th minute sealed a 1-0 win, Al-Taawoun’s ninth of the season, keeping them firmly in the title race.
Pericles Chamusca’s side have exceeded expectations with their stellar start to the season. The Wolves move into second with 28 points, two ahead of Al-Hilal in third and two behind league leaders Al-Nassr, with both sides still holding a game in hand.
It marks the best start to a Saudi Pro League season in Al-Taawoun’s history, a run that continues to surprise in a league filled with established stars.
Matchday 12 on Tuesday starts with Al-Ahli vs. Al-Fayha, followed by Al-Ettifaq vs. Al-Nassr and Al-Okhdood vs. Damac later in the evening.
