Man City are severely malfunctioning – nobody should fear them in the title race

Pep Guardiola’s team follow League Cup defeat by Spurs with Premier League loss to former whipping boys Bournemouth

Two defeats in four days for Manchester City, and suddenly the slickest machine in English football appears to be severely malfunctioning. Supporters of Pep Guardiola’s side might point to injuries and absentees but this deserved loss to Bournemouth was about far more than personnel issues.
City were beaten in this game not because they have players missing but because they were inferior to Bournemouth in every footballing department that matters: organisation, energy, intensity, inventiveness and adaptability.
Andoni Iraola’s side had all of these qualities, and at the end they also had a genuine piece of club history. This was their first ever victory over City, ending a record run of 20 league meetings without a win against a single opponent. At last, a burden is lifted.
For City, who also lost in midweek against Tottenham Hotspur, there were problems all over the pitch. Erling Haaland spent most of his afternoon glumly shaking his head, rather than threatening the Bournemouth defence, and Phil Foden took until the 80th minute to become a relevant factor. “We could not handle it,” said Guardiola of Bournemouth’s aggression.
City’s struggles were best summarised by the suffering of Kyle Walker, brutalised and bullied on the right side. For so much of his career, that flank has been Walker’s domain. Here, it belonged to the brilliant Antoine Semenyo and Milos Kerkez, who lit up the afternoon with their creativity and physicality.
Both of Bournemouth’s goals came down their left, on Walker’s side, as Semenyo and Evanilson struck for the home side. Bournemouth probably should have scored more as they continued their impressive run of form against top opposition: Iraola’s team have taken a remarkable seven points from three consecutive matches against Champions League opponents: Arsenal, Aston Villa and now City.
A late header by City defender Josko Gvardiol meant the pressure on Bournemouth’s defence was almost unbearably intense in the final moments, but they ultimately showed defensive steel to match their attacking silk. This was a complete performance by a team on the up, overseen by one of Europe’s brightest coaches.
“A great game,” said Iraola. “We did everything we could. We needed our very best performance and not the greatest game [from City] — and that happened.”
Across the pitch, in their first league defeat since December, the City players lost their battles. Haaland was wrapped up by Illia Zabarnyi and Marcos Senesi, Walker was overpowered by Semenyo and Foden was dominated by the tireless Lewis Cook.
“We respect Manchester City but when you are on the pitch, we are not friends,” said Kerkez afterwards. “Everyone went hard into the duels.”
Although not decisive, City’s fitness issues did play their part. With the squad stretched, the likes of Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji played here despite being a long way short of their best physical condition. Kevin De Bruyne was an unused substitute, having not played since mid-September, and Haaland was twice in visible pain after taking knocks.
More concerning than all this, though, was the lack of sharpness in City’s play. They almost conceded within two minutes of the first half, for example, and then almost conceded again within one minute of the second. Bournemouth were quicker to every loose ball and stronger in every physical challenge.
“Our play was not clean,” said Guardiola. “If you want to handle this team, you feel that you have an opponent close to you for 90 minutes. Close, close, close. In that situation, you have to be strong.”
So many teams meet City and choose to sit back in their own half, in a deep defensive block. Bournemouth are braver than most and they were on the front foot at every possible opportunity, pressing high and charging forward. Only in the final 10 minutes, when their brains and bodies tired, did they fall back into their penalty area.
Bournemouth ended the afternoon with six shots on target, compared to City’s four. They entered City’s final third on 48 occasions, compared to City’s 51. This, clearly, was no smash-and-grab performance.
It does not get any easier for City’s players. On Tuesday, they face Ruben Amorim’s Sporting away in the Champions League, before a fourth consecutive away game next weekend against Brighton.
Perhaps Sporting and Brighton will replicate Bournemouth’s high-energy approach. They were darting in behind the City defence after just a few seconds, with Ederson forced to make impressive saves to deny Semenyo and then Justin Kluivert.
The opener came after nine minutes, when Kerkez barrelled down the left and found Semenyo inside the box. Kerkez then went on to produce a goal-saving block on Bernardo Silva’s shot, before the half ended with the home fans shouting “ole” at every pass as Bournemouth’s players cruised around the pitch in possession.
Evidently, there was no need to fear this version of City. Indeed the most frightening player on the pitch was not Haaland but Semenyo, who created a chance for Evanilson shortly after the break. Ederson stood firm but the City goalkeeper was to be beaten once more, as Evanilson converted Kerkez’s low cross on the counter.
Incredibly, City had avoided defeat on the last five occasions they had fallen two goals behind in a Premier League game. That run ended here, although in the final moments they came agonisingly close to continuing it: Gvardiol scored with a powerful header from Ilkay Gundogan’s cross, before Foden fizzed a strike wide in stoppage time.