City Lose From Winning Position...Again

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola certainly have a lot to contemplate as they travel back up the M1 this afternoon. A 2-1 defeat to Leicester on a traditional Boxing Day fixture alone is not a cause for concern. What is a concern though, is the manner in which it happened.

Following an unexpected defeat only a few days prior, to Crystal Palace, a reaction was expected from the defending Champions. Today, as with Saturday, it would be City who would take the lead through some intricate play.

City Stunned By Townsend Beauty

I think it is fair to say that the game at the Etihad against Crystal Palace did not go exactly to plan. Our first league defeat at our home ground since the United game last season came less than 24 hours after Liverpool had extended their lead over us at the top of the table.

Pundits and commentators alike believe Christmas has come early with the trifector of incidents. Our surprise loss, hot on the heels of a Liverpool victory, conspired to make it a weekend of delight for those who see City as an annoyance. Add to that a resurgent Manchester United rolling over a Cardiff City side and you might be forgiven in thinking you’d been transported back to the 1990’s.

Blues Top The League: Brighton Talking Points

The scoreline makes it seem the game was closer than it actually was. Certainly a sigh of relief was audible when Sergio Aguero slotted home the second in the 65th minute. The result, along with Liverpools failure to beat Chelsea, means Pep Guardiola's side return to the summit after only seven games.

The two will meet in the League next weekend, and the chance for one to put daylight between the other. Focusing on our previous match though, what lessons do we take away from that result and overall performance.

City Dominate Brighton: Players Rated

Manchester City will go into next weekends six pointer ahead of their opposition after this past victory against Brighton. The three points gained at the Etihad now put them level on all stats with Liverpool who have a poorer goal difference.

It was a comprehensive win for the Blues, as you might expect. However it did take a piece of solo running from Sergio Aguero to make the result safe in the 65th minute. So, how did I rate the players?

City V Fulham: Player Ratings

So long International break and hello real, meaningful football. The Premier League continued this weekend, with Manchester City hosting newly promoted Fulham. In the preview I had spoken about the potential for a return to the starting lineup for both Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling. And so it proved to be, with it not taking long for each to make a mark. I will talk more about the interesting take aways I got from the game in a later article, for now though I only wish to focus on the player ratings from the game.

Manchester City Shoot Down Gunners: Players Rated

I must admit, I was a little nervous heading into this opening game. With a new manager at the helm of the Gunners you never really know what you'll actually get. Add to that the lack of preparation for Manchester City and many of their 'first' team players and a trip to the Emirates was not ideal.

Turns out though, there was nothing to worry about. Arsenal are a side in transition though, and it showed during parts in the game. Some City players shone in the Nations capital while others displayed a little bit of rust coming in for their first competitive game. So how did the City players rate?

City Do It The Hard Way As Hero Sterling Sees Red.

Manchester City traveled back to the south coast as they tried to get their Premiership campaign back on a winning track. Despite an early scare, when the hosts went ahead, City came through.....eventually.

Pep surprised a few people with his line up, when he went for a back four. Benjamin Mendy made his City debut while Bernardo Silva made his first start for the Blues. Starting up front, on his own, was Gabriel Jesus as Aguero found himself benched. In my preview to this game I had suggested that Pep might try this formation, considering the percentage of possession City usually enjoy combined with Bournemouth's possession stats so far this season.