Manchester City swept aside Sparta Prague in the Champions League last night and are on course for automatic qualification to the knockout stages.
Manchester City won 5-0 against Sparta at the Etihad Stadium, running riot in the second-half after a decent effort from the visitors in the first.
Phil Foden gave City an early lead, but the team then had some trouble breaking Sparta down. The Czech side also threatened a couple of times on the counter, with Stefan Ortefa forced into one good save on 25 minutes.
But City took the game away from their opponents in the second-half with Erling Haaland’s magnificent acrobatic effort opening the floodgates.
John Stones added a third, before Haaland scored again and Matheus Nunes completed the rout from the penalty spot.
There were many top performances, with Savinho a particular shining light.
Savinho again likened to Riyad Mahrez as Man City destroy Sparta
Fans have really enjoyed Savinho so far in a Man City shirt.
The Brazilian was the club’s first of two signings in the summer, and up to now, he has been a very exciting watch with his fast footwork and mazy dribbling.
He received several compliments last night from the TNT Sports commentary team, and Glenn Hoddle could not help but see former City Treble winner Riyad Mahrez in the youngster.
He said in the 61st minute: “He is an absolute twin of Mahrez isn’t he? He reminds me so much of Mahrez, I know a lot of people have said it. But as soon as I saw him… incredible!”
Hoddle went on to say: He attacks people with the ball. He’ll put people off balance, he’ll go on the outside on his right, his favoured left he can come in. He can even play out on the left-hand side and come in on his right and feel comfortable. He’s got that flexibility as a winger.”
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Mahrez influence for Savinho is so clear
It is very obvious that Mahrez has actually been a huge influence on Savinho growing up.
Savinho did say Mahrez had been his inspiration before his move to the club, and you can really see that he has watched the Algerian closely.
The way he uses stepovers, and the constant twisting and turning is just so reminiscent of how Mahrez used to play at City.
Mahrez himself has already suggested Savinho plays like him, after the former Girona loanee shone against Chelsea earlier this season.
| Riyad Mahrez for Man City |
| Appearances – 236 |
| Goals – 78 |
| Assists – 56 |
| Trophies won – 11 |
| Bought for – £60m |
| Sold for – £30m |
Mahrez proved to be a top signing for the club and fans will certainly hope Savinho can become just as successful.
One thing Mahrez did fairly well at City was score goals. In 236 appearances for the club, he scored 78 and also made 56 assists.
So far, we have seen Savinho provide plenty of creativity from the wide positions. He has four assists now in 12 appearances which is a great return.
But in order to reach the next level, Savinho must start to add goals to his game.
