Despite
any confidence or momentum built up throughout the entire season, Manchester
City still managed to fall apart away at Everton. Even against a not very
successful Everton, City looked as if it was the start of the season and the
players were just playing as a team for the first time. They struggled to
connect and create many attacking opportunities, and any opportunities that
were created were not capitalized on. Fernandinho managed to head in a
scrambling attempt to give City the lead, but it was quickly countered by
Naismith, and the score held even at 1-1 to the final whistle.
Through
the game, one player seemed to be leading the team, at least away from a
greater loss, but even he had his shortcomings. David Silva was a part and
leader in any chances created by Manchester City, including the one that gave
them the draw. Had his team been with him, it could have been a very different
game, and Silva had the potential to punish an Everton team that was weak
following recent games. Even Silva was below his best game, and his final touch
showed, but he still stood way above his teammates. This was not the case, and
the final score showed it.
One
player that was the opposite of Silva in the match, Eliaquim Mangala, was
punished for his poor defensive work throughout the majority of the game.
Replacing Vincent Kompany in the game, Mangala was repeatedly beaten by Everton
forward Lukaku. This often placed the responsibility for defense on goalkeeper
Joe Hart and other defenders, leading to a weakened back all around. Mangala wasn’t
the only problem for City, and weakness was throughout the team, but he was one
main point where the team really struggled. Manchester City would have most
likely been better off with Vincent Kompany in the back, even at his weakest.
They lacked a defensive leadership that was needed to bring the team together.
The lack of leadership hurt the team all the way up to the strikers, as it made
it difficult to start play and organize an attack involving the entire team.
Recently,
Manchester City goalie Joe Hart has been looking impressive, showing leadership
for his team. Against Everton, Hart was still able to make a few important
saves to keep his team in the game, but he was not anywhere near where he has
been throughout the season. His team needed him to step up and lead them, and
while he did make a few saves, he could not stop it when he needed to. When he
came off his line to get the ball from Naismith, he was not able to win it, and
he and his team were punished. Like his team, despite the progress they have
made throughout the season, he showed signs of his old self, lacking the
confidence that City needed. Throughout the game, City lacked confidence and
leadership all around. Going forward, Manchester City needs to regroup. They
need to look at what went wrong in this game without completely putting it out
of their mind. Its players can’t let this game get to them, but they need to
learn from it. They need to build back the confidence that they had before this
game, not falling into a slump of losses. Also, they need to establish or
reestablish a leader for the team, which they were very much lacking in this
game. Whether that is Hart or Silva or a defensive player, it doesn’t really
matter, just that the team has someone to follow and depend on.
