Pep Guardiola had someone in mind as he strode across Selhurst Park in a goalless draw with Crystal Palace.
He passed by City of Manchester the players, who were unable to find the net despite dominating the previous 90 minutes to left south London with a 0-0 draw that will definitely open the door for Liverpool in the race to the Premier League title.
He passed referee Martin Atkinson after a match that was thankfully free of any official controversy.
Guardiola instead went straight to the Palace keeper Vicente Guaita. A long, heated exchange ensued, but the City boss didn’t want to elaborate on what was said beyond simply “congratulating him on an incredible effort and stunts.” his savior.”
City got past Palace’s goal with 18 shots. Combined with the 14 they accrued losing their back-to-back game in October, the 32 is the most for any top team this season without a net found.
Before praising Guaita, Guardiola admitted that he had other players in mind: namely, making a substitution to improve a forward line that was clearing gaps.
“I thought about that, Gabriel [Jesus]Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan]but the boys played well,” said Guardiola. The game is at a high tempo and I decided to continue with these guys. “
True, Guardiola made no substitutions in a game that City had to win to maintain a comfortable level against Liverpool, who currently sit on four points at the top. This is not the first time: since English football returned from a COVID-19 hiatus in June 2020, Guardiola has chosen not to make any substitutions on four occasions. No other manager has done so more than twice in the same amount of time.
– Transfer the conversation: Man City eye Haaland, United because of Kane
– No ESPN? Instant access
However, this is the first time this season that he has decided not to interfere in a match his team cannot win. Raheem Sterling, Jesus and Gundogan rarely launch with any purpose even when the three points start to slip out of sight. If he’s really thinking about changing things, that never seems particularly close to becoming a reality. The results will inevitably form judgments about such decision-making, but that only feels weird right after.
Guardiola was right when he asserted that his side played well, monopolizing the ball in typical fashion – although City were often in full control, allowing Palace to threaten numerous times on the counter-attack.
Conor Gallagher represents Palace’s work ethic. In City’s tireless chase as they struggled relentlessly to open the scoring, the 22-year-old crossed 12.5 km – the highest distance against any Palace player in a match. play in the Premier League this season.
Gallagher usually tops that statistic – he did so in 15 of his 25 leagues starting during his season-long loan spell from Chelsea.
But Palace’s goal was never under constant threat. Guaita only had four shots on target to save, and only one of them was particularly memorable: a reflexive second-half save from Riyad Mahrez after Kevin De Bruyne play cards at the 57th minute.
Despite Guardiola’s full-time response, it was not a stellar performance worthy of particular praise from Guardiola. Opposite number Patrick Vieira underscored the point by focusing on how his goalkeeper “managed the game” essentially timing it to ease the pressure on his backline, allowing them to fill lung back after a nearly non-stop night of chasing the ball.
The city drops points here for their own advantage. Bernardo Silva was the biggest culprit, missing the away team’s two best chances: misdirected control with his mercies 14 minutes in and then missed a long shot in the second half from Jack GrealishCross in the 71st minute.
Joao Cancelo hit the post just before half an hour, and Aymeric Laporte You will feel uncomfortable looking back at the two opportunities that have come your way.
Trophies cannot be too far-fetched for a City side that has produced so much but failed to score for the first time in 19 games since a loss to Palace at the Etihad Stadium nearly five months ago.
They have given Liverpool a huge boost for next Wednesday’s trip Arsenal, knowing that winning the match in hand would put them one point behind Man City with 9 matches per game. Liverpool’s trip to Man City on April 10 is even bigger and Guardiola will welcome the title still in their hands as he did for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
But it’s tempting on nights like these – as rare as they are – to imagine what might have happened here if the City had made landfall. Tottenham Hotspur‘S Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo last summer. After all, despite their general consistency, there’s a reason they’re so closely linked to the move Borussia Dortmund‘S Erling Haaland at the end of the season.
And if they do end up missing out on another Premier League title against Liverpool this season, the task will not be on their defence, which remains the best defense in the league and the cornerstone of the season’s title. prior to.
“I don’t know if a striker, as you said, is fit for next season, we will win the game because I don’t know,” said Guardiola.
Of course he’s right. But thanks to Guardiola’s passivity here, we won’t know if City will win using all the options at his disposal.
