A glaring issue must be rectified for Manchester City to prosper | OneFootball

Manchester City drew 2-all with Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. The result saw Pep Guardiola’s side slip six points behind Arsenal, who sit top of the Premier League. For now, catching Arsenal shouldn’t be at the top of Manchester City’s priority list. The bigger issue to solve for Pep Guardiola and his team is the fluctuations in their performances across the first and second halves of matches. It cost City against Tottenham, and it isn’t a new issue. It is one that is costing City on a regular basis, and it must be resolved for Pep Guardiola’s side to prosper.

Manchester City wasted a good position and performance from halftime onwards against Spurs.

Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the first half of their 2-2 draw with Tottenham. Goals from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo had set City on their way. They also dominated possession in the first half, and they contained the threat Spurs posed in a manner that is typical of a Pep Guardiola side. The second half, however, was a different story entirely.

Thomas Frank made one substitution at halftime on Sunday. He replaced centre-back Cristian Romero with midfielder Pape Sarr. This change saw Spurs revert to a back four and attempt to get on the front foot at 2-nil down. Dominic Solanke scored for Tottenham in the 52nd minute to make it 2-1. Two minutes before that goal, Destiny Udogie saw a shot well-saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Tottenham had the momentum after halftime, and after Solanke’s first goal, City wilted. The hosts dominated the match, and it was no surprise that they equalized through Dominic Solanke in the 70th minute. City did get control of the game’s closing ten minutes, but the damage was done. A second half fadeout cost Pep Guardiola’s side and it wasn’t the first time this has occurred. It is becoming a common issue with this City side.

Manchester City threw a 2 goal lead away against Leeds United at the Etihad at the end of November. They dominated the first half of that match, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin lifted his team back into that game. Fortunately, on that particular day, a late Phil Foden winner spared City’s blushes as they picked up a 3-2 win. More recently, Manchester City’s performances against Wolves and Galatasaray featured second half fadeouts. City won both of those matches, but the performance level across the first and second halves dropped remarkably. There are other examples of this occurring this season. How the issue is rectified and what is causing it will be causing Pep Guardiola headaches.

What is the cause of Manchester City’s drop in performance across a match?

So what is causing Manchester City’s drop in performance from the first half to the second? Teams are coming out of their shells, so to speak, after falling behind to Pep Guardiola’s side. That much is obvious. Tottenham did it on Sunday; Leeds did the same in November. Wolves and Galatasaray also improved when the game looked to be slipping away. Manchester City looked like they couldn’t cope with their opponents raising their intensity. That is another cause for concern in itself.

Secondly, can this group of City players play at a high level for 90 minutes, or at least 70 minutes or so of a match? The answer at this stage is no. This new-look Manchester City team is still learning that trait, and that will take time to come. But the fact that they can’t control matches when their opponents raise their level of play is a major cause for concern. From halftime until the 70th minute, Pep Guardiola’s team was outplayed by Tottenham. In fact, you could argue that Spurs should have scored a third goal. Manchester City’s loss of control of that match, and others this season, has to be rectified. How Pep Guardiola achieves this remains to be seen.

Final thoughts.

Perhaps this new-look Manchester City side isn’t capable of playing at a high level for 90 minutes at this stage of their development. Maybe that is the entire issue. Another factor to consider is the fitness of the City squad, as they have a host of players who are injured, and too much is being left to too few. That could be a part of it, but likely not, given that this is not a new issue plaguing Pep Guardiola’s side.

Manchester City’s drop in performance across the first and second halves has been a common theme this season and do sense that it needs to be rectified for Manchester City to prosper this season. The problem is that it looks to be an issue that doesn’t have a simple solution right now.