Manchester City eked out yet another narrow victory in the Premier League on Saturday as they beat Southampton 1-0.
After smashing five past Sparta Prague on Wednesday in a confident Champions League display, it looked like Manchester City might have finally found their rhythm after a sluggish start to the season.
However, despite completely dominating Southampton, they still struggled to quickly put a Premier League fixture to bed.
Just like on Wednesday, Pep Guardiola’s side were ahead within minutes, this time Erling Haaland forcing in the ball from Matheus Nunes’ cross.
City created plenty more chances but couldn’t find the back of the net again as they resisted a late Saints flurry for the win.
Here are five things we learned from the fixture.
- Who is Matheus Nunes? Get to know the midfielder
Kovacic above Gundogan in the pecking order
Guardiola has been selecting both Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan in midfield in recent matches as he continues to search for a replacement for Rodri.
But the pairing hasn’t really worked. It hasn’t come at a cost of results but City have been nowhere near their rhematic best and the midfield balance has been a big reason for that.
Both players are brilliant but they operate in too similar a way to blend well together.
The partnership was broken up on Saturday with Bernardo Silva coming in and it seems that Kovacic is actually ahead of the former captain in the pecking order.
Kovacic and Bernardo worked really well together, with the Croatian sitting deep while the latter pushed up to get involved in the play. It’s simple but the team looked much more balanced as a result.
A new role for Phil Foden?
Another new dynamic to the midfield came from the role of Phil Foden, who was once again in his coveted central position.
Though he didn’t get on the scoresheet it was another exciting display from Foden as he gets back to his best after a disruptive start to the campaign.
But what was most interesting is how he dropped deeper in midfield at times when City had complete control and were parked on the edge of Southampton’s box.
Instead of hovering in positions to be found for a pass, he came back to get on the ball earlier in the build-up and influence which direction City went in their probing for a weakness.
It’s a big and underappreciated aspect of Rodri’s game and one that City have severely missed in his absence. They haven’t been as inventive in forward areas and often looked ponderous. Lacking ideas.
But with Foden seemingly taking up that conductor role, there was a lot more imagination in attack even if it didn’t result in a lot of goals. If he can continue to develop in the position, City might finally be able to flourish without Rodri.
Matheus Nunes takes his chance
Nunes was named in the starting XI for consecutive games for just the second time since joining City and he didn’t take long to make the most of his chance.
Five minutes weren’t even on the clock when he delivered a perfect ball into the box for Haaland to bundle home.
That’s now three assists and a goal in two games for Nunes who is blossoming in his new role on the left flank. His bright performance continued, too.
The Portuguese was a constant threat and looked full of confidence as he repeatedly took on the full-back. He delivered more dangerous balls and had a couple of good efforts himself, with his contributions on the ball all positive.
It’s been a great week that has not only pulled his City career out of the mud but set himself up to be a game-changer for Guardiola.
Nunes may have only got this starting berth in the Premier League due to injuries to Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku but the pair might find it difficult to get back into the team once they’re fit again.
Could Haaland improve in one area of goal scoring?
It seems a rather bold strategy to try and criticise Haaland for anything given he already has 14 goals in just 13 games this season but… he might actually have to work on his heading.
Of the 104 goals Haaland has already tucked away for City, only 12 have been with his head. That works out at about 11.5%.
That’s not particularly bad, especially when City play the bulk of their game on the floor, but he has failed to find the back of the net plenty of times with headed chances, with at least three of them coming against Southampton alone.
Carlos Vicens has come in for praise this week for the set-piece routine that won the Wolves match and City are getting better and better at creating good chances from dead-ball situations.
That means more headed chances are – and will continue – coming Haaland’s way and he could do with becoming a touch more clinical when they do. Or at least pull off a remarkable back-heel volley like he did against Sparta Prague instead.
- Who is Carlos Vicens? Man City’s secret weapon who masterminded ‘brilliant’ Wolves winner
Pressure put on Arsenal and Liverpool at the perfect time
The victory sees City move to the top of the Premier League table and they couldn’t have picked a better time to start applying real pressure on title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool.
The two clubs will face off against each other in a heavyweight clash on Sunday, a game that will benefit City one way or another.
A draw or defeat for Liverpool would keep the Blues top, while a defeat for Arsenal would ensure City have a six-point advantage over the Gunners already. A tally that might be insurmountable.
With City now stealing a march, Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta can’t really afford many more slip-ups, making Sunday’s game all the more crucial. City can sit back and enjoy the fallout.
