Manchester City: Player Ratings

It was just more than a victory on Saturday the Blues required. After the lacklustre performance midweek against Lyon in the Champions League, the side needed to show dominance. And that's exactly what they did on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Cardiff. 

A total masterclass in football left me wondering in Neil Warnock was, in some ways, enjoying the football on display. Certainly this was never going to be a game he and his staff would circle as one which could make or break their season. 

So how did the players do in the 5-0 victory? Here are my player ratings for the side who moved to second in the Premier League this weekend:

Blues Back To Winning Ways In Cardiff

I don't think any Manchester City fan ever imagined it would be anything other than a Blues win. I had said, after the Champions League result midweek, that a reaction was needed. How we played in the following game would show us a lot of the character of the team.

In the end it was comfortable, and wrapped up by half time. Pep Guardiola's side now moves to second, ahead of Chelsea, who couldn't break down a Zabaleta led Hammers defence. So what of that performance from Manchester City yesterday? What positives and negatives arose from the 90 minutes in Wales?

Manchester City Predicted Welsh Lineup

The good thing about playing football is that you don't have to wait too long for another game. When you have a poor performance, like Manchester City did on Wednesday, you don't have to wait to long to rectify the situation.

I was pretty harsh on the players after the defeat by Lyon at the Etihad, and rightly so. Now it's a whole different competition and a chance to keep pace with the front runners, Liverpool and a chance to leap frog Chelsea. So how should Pep lineup for the trip to the Cardiff City Stadium?

Pep Hopes For Welsh Reset

It wasn't the greatest of European nights for the Blues. A 2-1 defeat at home to Lyon was not what was expected, although with the performance on the night, it was all we deserved. Saturday sees the Blues back to domestic competition, and the continuation of the defense of their title.

Pep Guardiola will be back on the sidelines with Sergio Aguero likely being recalled to the starting lineup. Unfortunately Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo remain side lined for this game.

City Champions League: Player Ratings

I spoke in a previous article about the game last night. Manchester City's defeat at home against Lyon was not the start we would have hoped for or expected, yet the night felt strange from the start. The result, in isolation, is not that devastating. How the side reacts in the coming games will let us know if this game is something we needed to be concerned about.

Heading to Cardiff on Saturday, Pep will be looking for a much better performance from the defending Champions. That said, it would be very hard for a performance to be worse from the Blues. Not many of the players who started the European fixture came out with positives, and my player ratings reflect that.

Champions League: City Tamed By Lyon

It wasn't the result many expected from Manchester City in their opening fixture in this seasons Champions League. Defeat at the Etihad has been very rare for the Blues over the last few seasons, yet from the first whistle it never felt quite right in the stadium.

It was not so much the defeat, although not great, but the manner in which the Blues started their European campaign which would be most disappointing for City fans. Pep Guardiola was, of course, a spectator for the opening fixture. A ban carried over from last season for his particular seat for this game.

A few supporters have come down very hard on their side, but is that justified? Certainly Lyon deserved to get points from the game with City very lethargic for large portions of the game. Even the referee, who booked Aguero for arguing a decision, then agreeing with him by reversing the decision, cannot shoulder much blame. It was just one of those nights and it will tell us much of the side with how they respond in Wales at the weekend.

Talking Points From Fulham Win

Pep Guardiola’s side moved up to third, and remained undefeated after hosting Fulham at the Etihad on Saturday. One of only three sides in the Premier League to remain undefeated, with Liverpool and Chelsea the other two, with five wins from five. Previously I had posted the player ratings, with Bernardo Silva being my man of the match. Now though I want to talk about some of the interesting points from the game.

It certainly was a positive performance and a good result to get before we head into Champions League football against Lyon on Wednesday, but what did that performance tell us about Pep Guardiola and his side?