Manchester City weren’t good enough in attack or defence for the second time in a week as they drew with West Ham in the Premier League
However close it is to his final curtain, Pep Guardiola continues to do things his way. After spending a good chunk of two press conferences this week defending his selection decisions in the 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid, the Blues boss went without wingers at West Ham yet still looked like the Manchester City side of the last 10 years.
As teams have started to launch the ball high from kick-off, City kept it and barely gave it back to West Ham in the opening 15 minutes as they racked up a century of passes before West Ham made it into double figures. This is another Guardiola team that have played their way into a title race with a strong identity, but will it be enough to best Arsenal this year?
Not if Mikel Arteta’s side have anything to do with it, and two late goals for the Gunners at home to Everton as City were going through their final preparations for the game will have felt like another punch to the gut for the title challenge. Having fallen down when they needed to stand up at the Bernabeu, this game at the London Stadium required a win whatever the final possession count.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
Bernardo Silva led by example to open the scoring after half an hour with a delicious chip that he almost certainly didn’t mean, and all was well. Then some sloppy play brought a West Ham corner three minutes later, Gianluigi Donnarumma inexplicably misjudged it and Konstantinos Mavropanos headed away City’s advantage just like that.
Poor defending cost Guardiola’s side against Forest last week, it has probably knocked them out of the Champions League, and it is not going away. It doesn’t matter what shape you line up with if you defend – and attack – as poorly as City have in a damaging fortnight for their hopes in multiple competitions.
Having done so well for so long to keep themselves in the hunt for an unlikely Quadruple as late as March, City’s recent stumble has been puzzling and has come right from the top. For the second league game in a row, substitutions were readied and then delayed with Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden this time told to go and warm up again on the hour mark.
By then, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki had already come on in City’s search for a way back in front. There was plenty of possession and pressure, just not enough testing of Mads Hermansen in the West Ham goal as Nuno – a familiar foe for Guardiola – looked on contentedly with the City manager in the stands as he sat out the first of his two-game suspension.
When Reijnders did come off the bench, he forced Hermansen to tip his free-kick onto the bar and away, and City’s best chance fell to the very man they wanted it to. Haaland had just thrown his arms up in frustration as a cross evaded him into the box when Doku zipped it back in along the floor ready for the No.9 to swing his left boot at it.
So he did, but it was rushed, he didn’t catch it properly, and it fluffed harmlessly wide. At a critical time in the season, Haaland and City have fallen short of where they wanted to be.
Guardiola will continue to do things his way, and it may yet bring trophies this season. The Premier League and Champions League no longer look possible though.

