The Times - UK (2021-12-06)

It was a measure of Manchester City’s
dominance at Watford that the only
downside Pep Guardiola had cause to
reflect upon after his side moved to
the top of the Premier League was the
failure to make more of a succession
of chances, with Jack Grealish’s
frustrations in front of goal attracting
particular attention.
City’s performance was such that
Daniel Bachmann, the Watford
goalkeeper who was also able to
assess the merits of Chelsea last week,
was moved to describe them as being
without equal while Guardiola also
expressed his satisfaction at his side’s
consistency as they recorded a
seventh successive victory.

IAN WINROW

come from the

player. “I asked Jack

if he enjoyed playing in this

position touching the ball lots,

he said yes,” the City

manager said. “But still it’s a

bit away from his best

condition, he had some

days off, he needs

rhythm, but it’s good.

The manager knows there is always

room for improvement, and as the

season moves closer towards the

halfway mark Grealish’s form is under

growing scrutiny. By his own

admission, the attacking midfielder

has not found it easy to adapt to his

new life at City after a British-record

transfer from Aston Villa last summer

and so far the player has managed

only one goal in 11 Premier League

appearances.

Manager and player could be

satisfied, though, that there were

significant signs of improvement at

Vicarage Road. Operating in a false-

nine role, the 26-year-old was the

fulcrum in a number of his side’s best

moves while his movement off the

ball created space for others, notably

when Raheem Sterling headed City in

front after four minutes. Grealish’s

willingness to drop deep and collect

the ball was also the starting point of

the moves that led to Bernardo Silva’s

two outstanding goals.

What was lacking was a goal that

would have provided Grealish with a

welcome lift. An early header was

directed straight at Bachmann, who

would go on to deny the City man on

several other occasions. Grealish’s

frustration was evident when he was

substituted in the second half,

particularly as he had just seen a shot

deflected on to the bar.

The shift in position ensured

Grealish enjoyed a more prominent

role in the game, but Guardiola

acknowledged there was more to

We have players that can play in

different positions.”

Right now, Silva’s remarkable run of

form means there was never any risk

of his team-mate’s missed

opportunities proving too costly while

the prospect of Grealish starting to

click, and the return to fitness of a

number of senior players, adds to the

sense that Guardiola’s side are on the

rise. On a day that highlighted the

small margins that are likely to once

again determine the flow of the title

race, City provided a reminder of

their qualities that, in the eyes of

Bachmann, make them the leading

contenders.

“I don’t think there is another

footballing team like City in the

world,” he said. “Their

movement on and off the

ball is incredible. It’s a

different kettle of fish, if

I’m being honest.

Manchester City only

exist once, the way

they play football

and how they are.

They’re certainly the

toughest to play against.”

Sterling has no doubt

City are well equipped to

last the pace in an

attritional title race. “All

we can do is keep winning

matches,” the City forward

said. “That’s what this

football club is built to do, we

just need to keep doing that.

It’s a winning team, one that

challenges every three days, we’ve

been doing that for years now and

we’ll keep doing that. It’s aways good

to have all your players back and the

manager will be happy he’s got all his

players back bar one, Ferran [Torres].

And if we can keep everyone fit we’ve

got a good chance.”

City’s progress in the Champions

League means they will benefit from

a degree of breathing space before

Saturday’s meeting with

Wolverhampton Wanderers. Having

guaranteed they will finish top of

group A, Guardiola will ring the

changes for tomorrow’s final group

game away to RB Leipzig and take the

chance to rest some senior players

while others, including Kevin De

Bruyne, are likely to be given the

chance to build up their fitness before

the challenging weeks ahead.

For Watford, who denied Ederson a

100th clean sheet for City when they

replied through Cucho Hernández in

the 74th minute, the visit of City

marked the end of a testing run of

fixtures, and Bachmann

acknowledged that, with visits to

Brentford and Burnley next up, the

coming fixtures will have a greater

impact on their prospects.

“These aren’t the games that define

our season, the last five or six,” he

said. “We had a bonus win against

Manchester United but now is when

it starts for us. Now we need to start

picking up points from teams around

us. The blueprint is the Chelsea game.

That’s what we’re about.”

Grealish relishes new role – now for the goals

Watford

Hernández 74^1

RATINGS

Watford (4-2-3-1): D Bachmann 8 — K Femenia 6,

W Troost-Ekong 6, C Cathcart 5, D Rose 4

(J Ngakia 71min, 6) — I Louza 5 (C Hernández

46min, 6), T Cleverley 5 (J Kucka 46, 6) —

E Dennis 7, M Sissoko 6, J Pedro 6 — J King 5.

Booked King, Rose, Cathcart.

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson 6 — K Walker

6, R Dias 6, A Laporte 7, J Cancelo 7 — B Silva 9,

Rodri 7, I Gundogan 6 (K De Bruyne 67, 6) —

R Sterling 8, J Grealish 6 (R Mahrez 67, 6),

P Foden 7 (G Jesus 75, 6).

Referee S Hooper.

Attendance 20,673.

Manchester City

Sterling 4, Silva 31, 63^3

HOW GREALISH FITTED IN

This map of City’s average positions

shows how Grealish was the closest

thing to a central striker, but with

Sterling and Foden in advanced

roles either side of him

Sterling

B Silva

Grealish

Foden

Cancelo

Gundogan

Rodri

LaporteRuben Dias

Ederson

Walker

k

Grealish looked at

ease as a false nine

12 1GG Monday December 6 2021 | the times

thegame

Uneven contest

Manchester City’s 14 wins in a row

against Watford in all competitions

is the joint most by any league team

against another since the league was

formed in 1888. City have won 32 of

their past 33 games played in the

UK under GMT. Sterling scored as

City won 3-1 away to Watford on

Saturday, but in 1986 Sterling scored

as Watford won 3-1 way to City

(Raheem Sterling on Saturday,

Worrell Sterling in 1986). In their

past ten meetings there has been a

team in the lead for a total of 686

minutes – City 686 and Watford

none. Brentford’s match against

Watford on Friday will be the top

flight’s first meeting between insects:

Bees versus Hornets.

Worlds apart

Ralf Rangnick was born on the day

of the 1958 World Cup final, won by

Brazil against Sweden; his first

Manchester United line-up

yesterday included a player who was

born on the day of the 1994 World

Cup final, also won by Brazil: that

was Victor Lindelof, of Sweden.

Rangnick and Chelsea’s Thomas

Tuchel are the first pair with

matching initials managing at the

same time in the Premier League

since Chris Coleman (Fulham) and

Mick McCarthy (Sunderland) in

March 2006. United have recorded

one-goal victories over Crystal

Palace in each of their past two

matches when guided by a manager

in his sixties: yesterday’s fixture,

under Rangnick, and the 2016 FA

Cup final, the last game of Louis van

Gaal’s reign.

Crossing eras

A West Ham United left back’s

apparent cross from long distance

finds the net to put his team 3-2

ahead against more fancied

opponents: Arthur Masuaku, facing

Chelsea on Saturday, emulated Paul

Konchesky against Liverpool in the

2006 FA Cup final. West Ham’s

40th-minute goal by Manuel

Lanzini was the earliest conceded by

Chelsea in their past 27 games. This

season, Chelsea and Liverpool

became the first pair in top-flight

history to start a campaign with the

same five scorelines in the same

order; and from their seventh match

onwards each have lost only once —

by 3-2 away to West Ham in both

cases.

Silva service

The first three teams in the Premier

League table (Chelsea, Manchester

City and Liverpool) all played away

to the last three alphabetically (West

Ham, Watford and Wolverhampton

Wanderers): Silva scored for

Chelsea; Silva scored for City and

Liverpool scored against a club who,

as usual, played Hi Ho Silver Lining

over the public address system

before the game. Liverpool’s first 1-0

league win this season came away to

Wolves on Saturday; and their only

1-0 league win last season also came

away to Wolves.

Upstart visitors

Tottenham Hotspur yesterday broke

the record for the longest run of

home matches without a 0-0 by a

league club after moving to a new

stadium. They have had 71 games

without a goalless draw, eclipsing

Everton’s 70 after moving to

Goodison Park in 1892. In the FA

Cup first and second rounds this

season, ten teams have won away to

opponents one division above them

and only four such sides have lost

(and five have drawn). Of the two

League One fixtures from Saturday,

one had an attendance 14 times

larger than the other (26,634 at

Sunderland; 1,901 at Accrington

Stanley).

6 Bill Edgar’s Quirky Football Quiz

Book is published by Robinson.

Game in

numbers

Bill Edgar recalls day a Sterling scored

for Watford, not Manchester City

PULLING IN THE CROWDS

The FA Cup has lost its shine a little but

it was once very prominent: a majority

of the present 92 League clubs

recorded their highest attendance in

this competition, many of them more

than 50 years ago

Competition where present League

clubs attracted record attendance

FA Cup

57

League

27

League Cup

(Lincoln, MK Dons, Salford)

3

Champions League

(Arsenal, Tottenham)

2

FA Cup Amateur Cup

(Wycombe)

1

Friendly

(Cambridge)

1

Whitworth Cup

(Harrogate Town)

1

Sterling meets

a Phil Foden

cross as City

maintained

their hold

over Watford