'Worst Premier League start, can Man City compete for the championship this year?'
On the 1st (Korea time), the BBC expressed concern about Manchester City's second consecutive defeat in the early part of the season. BBC reported that Manchester City, which won the Premier League six times out of the past seven seasons, has been struggling since the beginning of the season, raising fans' concerns. Last season was only the second season under Pep Guardiola to be considered a temporary slump, but this season was also a direct hit, saying it was hard to find any signs of recovery.
Last season, there were a lot of problems surrounding the inside and outside the team. Bad news continued, including 115 club-related audits, rumors about Guardiola's future, and the injury of key midfielder Rodri. However, Manchester City, which declared its leap forward with an investment in the transfer market worth about £330 million, currently has its worst start to the Premier League season, breaking its lowest record since the 2004-2005 season. Another burden is that no team has won a come-from-behind victory in the current rankings after a season has changed to a 38-game system.
Manchester City lost 1-2 in the third round of the English Premier League (EPL) away to Brighton on the 31st (Korea time). Earlier in the game, City took a strong lead and blocked Brighton's chances, and Holland played well, scoring his 88th goal in his 100th Premier League match. However, Brighton's replacement cards shone after the middle of the second half, and the mood completely changed. Brighton James Milner scored a penalty equalizer in the 22nd minute of the second half, and Gruda's theatrical goal in the 44th minute of the second half turned the game around. Manchester City lost 1-2. After losing 0-2 to Tottenham, it lost two consecutive games, and sank to eighth place in the league with one win and two losses in three games.
Pep Guardiola said shortly after the game: "We were excellent in the first hour. However, after losing a point, I forgot the flow of the game. I thought too much about the result and didn't play properly," he said in his postgame speech. He added "The season is just the beginning, there's a lot of time left. We'll watch it,' he said, expressing faith in the team.
However, even in history, Manchester United is the only team to win after losing the first two games in the 1992-93 season. Former Chelsea and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said there are many questions about Guardiola and his team. Guardiola is not used to this situation, and the situation is getting harder and harder" he diagnosed.
The main cause of last season's slump was the injury of ace Rodri. Rodri, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2024, left for nearly a year in September last year due to a cruciate ligament injury. City lost only once in Rodri's start during the injury, and Rodri has been recognized as the most important key player in Manchester City. In his first Premier League start since injury against Brighton, it did not seem easy to recover his perfect condition after an eight-month absence.
Rodri says "I'm not Messi. Just because I'm back, I can't keep winning the team by myself. Soccer is a team sport. In the past, even when we won, we needed all of our teammates. Of course I have to get back to my best form and we all have to look back on ourselves. The cooperation of the whole team is important. I hope we can be much better after the A-match break. He stressed the unity of the whole team. He also pointed out the problems of mistakes and lack of concentration. "Among the mistakes we make, this is the mistake that only children make. It's because I didn't concentrate. "We need to raise the level overall to be competitive, we haven't been up to that level for a long time."
The BBC reported that `another problem Man City has recently faced is unstable pressure tactics when the opponent owns the ball.' 'Man City uses a tactic of pressing from a high position when the opponent builds up from the goalkeeper. It was repeated that the offensive fullbacks were given a pressure mission by covering a wide area, allowing the opposing team a side space and giving them a chance. In both Tottenham's first goal and Brighton's second goal, the opposing side player turned and poked a direct pass forward at a time when the Manchester City striker was unable to pressure the opposing defender closely. In the match against Tottenham, Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis got down deep in the match against Brighton, leading Manchester City's fullback. As a result, one side defender escaped and the Manchester City defensive line was reduced to three, and all three had to move sideways to fill the empty space of the fullback, which increased the likelihood that one centerback would be at a disadvantage in defensive confrontations as he defended in unfamiliar side areas. The opposing team's players created empty spaces between the three defenders who were scattered like this, creating a goal opportunity. 'We need to watch carefully how Guardiola and the coaching staff will resolve these tactical patterns shown in the last two games.
The hopeful part is Holland's return and recovery of his goal-scoring ability. Holland, who slowed down a little bit in the previous season, has already scored three goals in the first three games of the season and is in good form. The BBC wrote that if Manchester City continue to score through Holan and strengthen their defence, they will still be able to enter the race for the Premier League championship.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
