Manchester City, who returned from suspension after Rodri was suspended, won against Brighton and broke their two-game losing streak in the league.
Manchester City won 2-1 over Brighton & Hove Albion in the 9th round of the 2023-24 English Premier League (PL) held at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England at 11 pm (Korean time) on the 22nd. As a result, Manchester City shook off its poor performance in the previous game and regained the lead with 21 points.
Manchester City chose the 3-2-4-1 formation. Ortega guarded the goal and Gvardiol, Akanji, and Walker formed the back three. By appointing Stones and Rodri in the third line, the midfield, which had been lacking recently, was solidly filled. The second line was Doku-Silva-Alvarez-Foden and the front line was Haaland. As expected, Rodri returned as a starter, and Stones moved between center back and midfield, taking charge of build-up and rear defense.
Manchester City led the game. The tempo of the game continued quickly with strong pressure from the beginning. The first goal was scored in the 7th minute of the first half. Doku showed off his individual skills on the left flank and Alvarez confidently hit the ball with his left foot as it picked up speed. It was a slightly off shot, but luck favored Manchester City. It wasn’t difficult to keep up the pressure against Brighton. In the 18th minute of the first half, pressure from the right side caused the opponent to miss a pass, and Holland did not miss the ball and scored an additional goal. Holland scored for the first time in four games, and this goal became the winning goal, winning 2-1.
Man City showed a completely different appearance from the previous game. Just like when they were on the rise, they were quite relaxed and played the game in their own style. We could not see Brighton building up with short passes and starting their attack by supplying the ball to the side. There were a few instances where the team lost momentum, but it wasn’t long before the game regained its momentum. When attempting to attack with this atmosphere, except for the two center backs, they were seen moving up to a higher position than before. Doku also showed good performance by switching offense and defense quickly and actively participating in the attack. In particular, this game proved how important Rodri and Stones are to the team.
Rhodri and the Stones truly showed the ‘strongest combination’. When Rodri, a defensive midfielder, advanced, Stones stayed behind to guard the rear. Conversely, when Stones went up, Rodri’s backward movement became free and there was no difficulty in leading the game. Stones, who is key to coach Pep Guardiola’s strategy of mixing three backs and four backs, played the role of a midfielder rather than a center back when Manchester City’s attack began and worked hard to develop the attack. When Brighton gained the right to attack, Rodri applied strong pressure and Stones quietly performed their role by holding the ball until the end.카지노사이트
Rodri’s long-awaited return gave Manchester City three points. He cut off the opponent’s counterattack in the midfield and showed good performance by making quality passes and demonstrating individual skills. Brighton tried to put pressure on Rodri, but it didn’t work. Manchester City, with two midfielders, was free to attack on the flanks as long as either Rodri or Silva was free from pressure. Although he was disappointed to receive a card for a somewhat unnecessary action, he received the 3rd highest score in the team with a rating of 7.6, according to soccer statistics media ‘Foot Mob’.
Meanwhile, there was also homework given by this game. Manchester City’s depth is thinner than before. It was a pleasant victory for the first time in a long time after losing all three games in which Rodri had not played due to disciplinary action. However, we have no choice but to admit that there are still no midfield resources to replace Rodri. In addition, Holland’s increased offensive power upon Rodri’s return has its limits, which he cannot achieve alone. As a result, Manchester City’s concerns about the need to reinforce midfield resources with De Bruyne out due to a long-term injury and new ways to use monster striker Haaland have increased.
Manchester City will play a 10th round match against Manchester United on the 30th. Man City, which successfully rebounded and turned the team around, must win to take the clear lead in the league. It is expected that the team will continue to compete for the league lead by using an appropriate rotation in the Champions League match against Young Boys.