The improvement of Kevin de Bruyne this Wednesday against Nottingham Forest (3-0) prompted the expected reaction of Manchester City, more forceful due to his punch than due to defensive sensations, in a reunion with the victory after seven games that served to lower nine points behind the leader after Liverpool’s draw.
The Etihad duel measured the depth of an unprecedented crisis in Pep Guardiola’s career. Up to six defeats and a draw that tasted like a lost match for letting a three-goal lead slip in ‘Champions’. And City left green shoots, even with serious defensive gaps and errors that generated problems against a larger rival, but taking advantage of De Bruyne’s return to his true identity.
Guardiola’s tactical tweaks pay off
Guardiola made tactical adjustments to his team. He placed Grealish in the center as a midfielder, threw Bernardo Silva to the right wing and recovered Doku’s decisive pass on the left. He soon released himself from the pressure. After a warning from Haaland, upon his second arrival he took advantage of Nottingham Forest’s defensive permissiveness.
Unmarked, in the goal area, Bernardo Silva finished off a shot by De Bruyne in the eighth minute. The prize for a start with personality and intensity in the game. Forest, revelation at the start of the ‘Premier’, looked overwhelmed, without finding solutions to get out of the pressure.
Pep Guardiola ended his worst streak as a coach
Gvardiol appeared, creating danger in both areas. From forgiving the second with a header after a great connection between Bernardo and De Bruyne, he went on to put the tie on a platter for his rival. A loss to Jota Silva left the ball open to the arrival of Gibbs-White who met with his powerful shot in Ortega’s reaction full of reflexes.
And Gvardiol was able to get even, unleashed in attack with an unmarking move into the space that Haaland saw, but he defined a left-footed cross. They were moments in which De Bruyne took over the duel, making his teammates play and creating chances. He had touched the goal with a shot near the post, also the protagonist of an error with a bad back pass that left Chris Wood completely alone before Ortega to forgive the tie.
Stefan Ortega exhibited firmness in response to the trust maintained
Author of the second goal after an action by Doku inwards that culminated with a right cross. It was punishment for the lack of courage of Nottingham Forest who started playing when they felt the game was lost. With the offensive presence of Álex Moreno and dangerous actions by Elanga, as brilliant in the overflow as he was misguided in the definition.
In his quest to revive the game after the restart, taking a step forward and grazing the top corner with a left-footed shot from Murillo, he took some risks that cost him the third goal. Doku’s speed punished the spaces on the counterattack. Haaland put the ball into his career and finished with quality. It was the final point of the game. City, much later, could breathe and won with authority without missing Rodri.
Nottingham Forest’s attempts in the final half hour ended up crashing into Stefan Ortega, who showed firmness in response to Guardiola’s continued confidence. Two saves from Elanga and Anderson allowed City to keep a clean sheet and stop the bleeding.
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