Man City face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final next monthplaceholder image
Man City face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final next month | Getty Images
Man City looked back to their old selves against Liverpool, but has Pep Guardiola already checked out of the Etihad?
Manchester City returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion against Liverpool, leaving it late and doing it in the most dramatic style possible.
Rayan Cherki was robbed of a goal bonus after a needless intervention from VAR thanks to Erling Haaland putting on the afterburners and making Dominik Szoboszlai look like he was towing a caravan in his attempts to keep up.
It would have been no more than City deserved having dominated long periods of the thrilling 100+ minute encounter. Pep Guardiola outwitted his opposite number Arne Slot and showed that he can adapt and rebuild, rather than just spend money to solve his problems.
Pep Guardiola has already ‘left’ Man City
Rumours persist that Guardiola might be counting down the days at the Etihad with Talksport’s Micky Gray suggesting that the City boss is love-sick for a departed former favourite. When asked if he’s been different this season, Gray said: “Yeah, I think you can see it in his body language. He's certainly approached this season a little bit different to this season's prior, when we've seen him in front of camera. I think also, when we've seen him in the technical area.
“And I don't know whether it's down to in the back of his mind, he might have made a decision that this could be his last season or does he actually stay in the Premier League? I think one of the big things for me is, look, he's recruited this season and I think there's been a lot of changes behind the scenes at Manchester City. It's not the team that he had when he first walked through the door, obviously.
“And I think some of his big stars, I, Kevin de Bruyne, have been probably the top of the list. When he left, it felt like a bit of Pep left, if that makes sense. And I think sometimes this season he's kind of boiled over a little bit in front of camera.”
Has Guardiola checked out?
Gray makes a valid point, but it is perfectly understandable. In the space of a few transfer windows, Pep saw trusted players like Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogen, Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and De Bruyne all leave and need to be replaced.
There have been mixed results with some new recruits doing better than others with Antoine Semenyo’s arrival putting that of the other wingers who have been signed in the last 12-months to shame. Alongside Cherki and Haaland, it looks like Guardiola has finally found the right combination in the final third.
Cherki and Semenyo combined cost less than Liverpool paid for either Alexander Isak or Florian Wirtz and nearly the same price that they paid for Hugo Ekitike.
Guardiola has moaned recently about not being the biggest spenders, however, on this example, and the signing of Tijjani Reijnders, who cost half what Wirtz did but has posted almost identical numbers, City are spending smarter, even if Guardiola might still pine for the mercurial Belgian.
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