It is therefore not this weekend that Manchester City will raise their heads. At the opening of the 17th day of the Premier League, the Skyblues were beaten on the field of Aston Villa (2-1), and conceded their third consecutive defeat, the ninth in 12 matches in all competitions.
The worst part of all this is that the evil seems deep for Pep Guardiola’s men. They could have cracked from the first minutes, on a big mistake by Josko Gvardiol poorly exploited by John Duran (1st), or on the following corner where Stefan Ortega made a miraculous save (2nd).
Morgan Rogers executioner of Man City
The Citizens’ defense was finally pierced in two passes on an action from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, and where Morgan Rogers served John Duran in an ideal position (1-0, 16th). The return of John Stones did not solve all the defensive problems of this team, and Guardiola took the England international off at half-time, to revive Kyle Walker, without much success.
In the second half, Man City was once again trapped in a very vertical action, launched by Morgan Rogers from his own camp, and concluded by the attacking midfielder of the Villans after a relay from John McGinn (2-0, 65th). Phil Foden’s first goal of the season (2-1, 90th+3), after a confusing action, will not change much of the equation.
The reigning champion continues to slide in the rankings, and now finds himself sixth, behind his opponent of the day, and could fall further depending on the results of the weekend. When will the nightmare end?
