MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – “Mind the gap” no longer applies to the confines of the London Underground as Manchester City continue to run away with the Premier League.
Inevitability has again taken hold for Pep Guardiola’s side in their title procession; it is not a question of if they will score or win, but increasingly a case of when. Their answer on Wednesday, in an eventual 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, was barely 20 minutes.
Cynics claiming the champions-elect will not lift this season’s crown at a canter, with their current double figures advantage still intact, remain wishful in their thinking.
Again, sitting 15 points clear of second-placed Manchester United at the summit, they were admittedly helped by their rivals succumbing inside 11 seconds against Tottenham. Chelsea faltering at home to Bournemouth also played a part in widening the gulf, as have the rest of the chasing pack by regularly fluffing their lines regularly this season.
“I am so happy because today what I feel is one of the best performances we played this season,” Guardiola said post-match.
“Playing better than the way we played today is quite difficult, but in knock-out games, or cup finals or like Arsenal in the EFL Cup, we have to improve to be more clinical in front of goal or we’ll be in trouble.
“We create an amazing game plan. The joy to watch those guys play in that way but we missed a lot of chances and in [facing] top teams, it will be a problem if we aren’t able to improve in that. Today was a game for 7-0 or 8-0 because there were clear chances for the last pass. Hopefully we can improve that in the future.”
The closing of the January transfer window had promised so much at the Etihad Stadium yet delivered so little, off the pitch at least. On it, newcomer Aymeric Laporte passed a potential baptism of fire with flying colours with a comfortable and assured defensive showing in lieu of John Stones.
For all the money that their Abu Dhabi-based owners have lavished, City still maintain a degree of realism that stopped them from becoming entangled in the transfer window arms race. Laporte’s £57 million arrival from Athletic Bilbao broke their own transfer record, at a time when that glass ceiling could have conceivably been shattered further, pointed to their principles of refusing to fall victim to market gullibility.
They had stepped back from potential cliff edges in their pursuits of Alexis Sanchez and Riyad Mahrez this month, with Guardiola claiming his side simply could not afford a squad capable of fighting separately on four fronts. Leicester’s alleged £95m valuation of their talisman clearly fell into that territory of unrealistic expectations, as did United in bowing to the eye-watering financial demands to secure Sanchez’s move from Arsenal.
“If the players that don’t come is because it’s not possible,” Guardiola insisted.
“I understand completely that we have an offer and the clubs, or the managers, or the players, they decide ‘we want more.’ After that, sometimes the deal is done, sometimes not. [If] nothing happened, it’s not a problem, believe me.
“In the future, maybe we’re able to buy one player [for] £100 million or something like that. But I think it’s going to happen to say a special, special player.”
History suggests that City’s interest in Mahrez, abandoned just hours before kickoff here, may turn out to be a potential bullet dodged. In 1972, they squandered their chance for a second title as Rodney Marsh’s signing coincided with a four-point lead being reversed to a one-point deficit by the season’s end as they dropped down into fourth. Decades later, the maverick ex-striker offered a mea culpa for “costing” his former club both that championship in addition to their original £200,000 outlay.
Dressing room disharmony prevented Guardiola reuniting with his former Barcelona stalwart in Sanchez. Kevin de Bruyne rewarded his manager’s apprehension again with a goal and assist, both from a sweeping counter-attacks, which complimented yet another stellar performance as he scored City’s 100th goal in all competitions this season.
The FA Cup continues to drive West Brom to distraction at a time when their league woes remain no nearer to ending. Now rooted to the foot of the table, the euphoria of last weekend’s fourth-round win over Liverpool has delivered another domestic hangover.
Anfield loanee Daniel Sturridge, handed his first outing in a 12-minute cameo against his one-time employers, lacks the mental and physical fortitude to withstand a burden of pressure far greater than any faced with his parent club. A solitary chance in front of goal saw the outcast England striker fire, after hitting his first man, into the side-netting.
West Brom’s desperation against the drop manifested itself in a series of rash challenges, with Matt Phillips delivering an X-rated tackle on fellow substitute Brahim Diaz that merited an instant dismissal and could have been season-ending for the City teenager.
“He’s a winger and wingers, in desperate situations, can make poor challenges. it was a poor challenge. I make no mistake about that,” West Brom manager Alan Pardew admitted.
“I think Fernandinho made a similar thing in the middle of the pitch which I’m not sure if the referee saw. But Pep’s comments at the weekend affected the crowd, I thought. Every challenge was ‘you’re not protecting our players, referee’ and the referee had a few songs sung about him – and I actually thought he had a decent game.
“I thought his calls were correct and I thought it was a yellow card for Matt Phillips, no doubt.”
Coming up second-best against the team in first carries little shame. Now with one win in their last 23 games, however, this threatens to be season where the Baggies enjoy their last bounce.
Richard Buxton is a UK-based writer and special correspondent for Sportsnet. He filed this report from Manchester’s Etihad Stadium.
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