This Manchester City side remains a work in progress as Sunday’s loss to Aston Villa showed | OneFootball

Manchester City went down to a 1-nil defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday at Villa Park. The defeat saw City’s nine-game unbeaten run end against Unai Emery’s side. What Sunday’s performance from Pep Guardiola’s side and result showed was that this new-look City side remains a work in progress, and that stood out as Sunday’s match unfolded.

This Manchester City side needs time to come together.

Pep Guardiola’s side suffered their third successive defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park. It is now three straight seasons where Manchester City have fallen to Unai Emery’s side at the venue. There were positives to take from Sunday’s match for City, as well as clear areas of improvement that stood out against Villa.

Manchester City began Sunday’s match brightly in the opening 10 minutes. They passed the ball well, although the final ball was lacking. City also pressed with intent in the game’s early stages. But that faded after the opening 10 minutes. Aston Villa grew into the game, and after they took the lead through Matty Cash in the 19th minute, they were the better team in the first half. Manchester City’s makeshift midfield was easily bypassed by Unai Emery’s side. Tijjani Reijnders battled away as a number six, but that isn’t his natural position. John Stones’ stepping into midfield didn’t have the desired effect, and across the first half, City couldn’t establish a foothold in the game.

Manchester City were better in the second half. Their improvement was more pronounced when Nico came on and played as a number six. Nico’s arrival gave City the solidity they needed in midfield, and in the final 20 minutes of the match, City had their best spell of the game. Villa had their moments on the break, but with Nico on the pitch, Pep Guardiola’s side did look better. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough for City to find an equaliser as Aston Villa’s determined defending kept Pep Guardiola’s side at bay. But there was a suggestion of what the best mix is for this Manchester City is going forward.

Despite this, Manchester City’s performance showed that this City side remains a work in progress. They will need time to grow together as the season progresses. Playing with a makeshift midfield didn’t aid City’s cause. They also lacked any real cutting edge in the final third. These facets of City’s play should improve as Pep Guardiola’s side spends more time together.

Pep Guardiola was happy with Manchester City’s performance despite the result.

Speaking after his team’s loss to Aston Villa, Pep Guardiola said his team put in a good performance. However, he did acknowledge that there were clear areas of improvement his team must make, which stood out at Villa Park. The City manager explained: “We are a really good team, we played a really good game. We missed at the end actions when we attacked the by-line, the last pass, last shot, last cross to be more present.”

“But we started really good in the first 15, 20 minutes, and after we were not able when they contact in the last line, to win duels, win the three-against-ones, four-against-two, they were better in that position, we should be more better in attacking the ball.”

“And after on set-pieces, they created dangerous because they are so good. But in general, we behaved really well; second-half much better, but at the end we could not score.”

The most significant conclusion I can draw from Manchester City’s defeat to Aston Villa is that this City team and their rebuild remain a work in progress. They weren’t poor against Aston Villa, but they didn’t do enough to get anything from Villa Park. Manchester City’s performance lacked the cutting edge they desperately needed and Aston Villa won their duels and kept City at bay when they had to. These areas of Manchester City’s play will improve in time, especially now that Pep Guardiola has a full squad to pick from. But this City team isn’t the finished product yet and that cannot be overlooked.