Bookings for timewasting, celebrating winning free kicks, the manager arguing over exactly where opponents ought to take throw ins from. This is not the Manchester City we once knew and not the Manchester City that Pep Guardiola ideally wants.
Yet it is the Manchester City in situ right now, one sitting two points adrift of champions Liverpool and another further back of leaders Arsenal. If that scenario was presented to Guardiola as he appeared forlorn and lacking ideas as they resembled a deck of cards at Brighton five weeks ago, he’s more than taking it.
Brentford, according to match winner Erling Haaland, were like ‘Stoke City and Rory Delap’ as Michael Kayode routinely launched throws in the general direction of Gianluigi Donnarumma. That’s all fine and a good laugh, while also recognising that City themselves have taken the grit and steel from teams like that in recent weeks.
It has felt a conscious effort since that late Brajan Gruda goal condemned them to two defeats from their opening three – and while not the ‘beautiful football’ that chief executive Ferran Soriano has plastered across club paraphernalia, it is just about effective enough.
On the surface, this fresh determination pleases Guardiola. How can it not? Critics have piled into a soft underbelly in previous years. It’ll please him for now, knowing that he will not stand for silk performances across 45 minutes and then – to borrow Gary Neville’s phrasing on the television – some scruffiness. This followed a pattern to the draw at Monaco in midweek: supreme for half of it, failing to take chances, and under the cosh late on. This time they weathered the storm.
In the meantime, the real statistic that should have City’s manager focusing on positives is that this team have led in league matches for 60.2 per cent of the season so far, ticking over the 400-minute mark just after Donnarumma thwarted Igor Thiago for Brentford’s best chance. Bournemouth are next on 41.5 per cent.
‘Three weeks ago Liverpool had already won the Premier League, no?’ Guardiola said after registering a 250th league win in record time. ‘Apparently not. I want to thank the club for the 250. Now let’s go for the next 250.’
ERLING’S MORE THAN A GOAL MACHINE
Haaland was congratulated just as much by Ruben Dias and Phil Foden for winning a defensive header in the final quarter, when Keith Andrews willed the hosts on, as he was in the ninth minute when bulldozing a 18th of the season for club and country.
‘I’m not sure how many forwards in world football score that goal,’ Andrews said after Haaland took Josko Gvardiol’s clip into a channel to storm goalwards, keeping his feet to hammer home. The Norwegian implored the away fans to carry on singing ’10 more years’ – referencing the mega contract he penned in January.
The thing which indicates his exceptional form is not so much the goals but the work rate and, strangely, his gait. When Haaland’s neck protrudes as he eats up ground on defenders, the Jaws theme menacing faintly, it’s clear that the hunt is on.
GUARDIOLA’S FEAR FOR MAIN MAN
As a crestfallen Rodri trudged down the tunnel, his seated manager unmoved, it crystalised exactly what Guardiola had warned of on Friday: that City will not see the best of their fulcrum until next season.
Conditioning is clearly an issue for somebody who complained of knee soreness last week, who City know cannot play three games in a week and yet who started for the second time in four days.
Guardiola has become a little tetchy over Rodri in recent days, fiercely defensive of understudy Nico Gonzalez – seeing criticism of the young Spaniard that perhaps isn’t even there. It takes no certified psychologist to understand that is coming from a place of fear around the main man.
A hamstring injury to go with knee troubles, on the back of last year’s ACL surgery, suggests he is not ready for the rigours of Premier League or Champions League football.
Heavily strapped up at full time, the first player that Rodri went to congratulate at full time was Gonzalez. City supporters will be encouraged that he lightly kicked a stray ball into Donnarumma’s unguarded net when heading over to lead the applause in front of the travelling fans.
‘I don’t feel that I feel tired muscle wise,’ Rodri said. ‘I feel fresh but the most important thing is it’s not that big. The good thing is the break so it will be even better in this sense to recover these days and hopefully I can be in the next [City] game.’
RAMSEY TRIBUTES
An emotional day saw Brentford pay tribute to the late head of academy goalkeeping Chris Ramsey and former technical director Robert Rowan.
Rowan died of cardiomyopathy episode in 2018 and has the training ground named after him, with the club dedicating the game to the Heart of West London campaign, promoting increased CPR training. Fans held a huge tifo of Rowan before kick off, displaying the message: ‘Always in our hearts.’
