Pep Guardiola said this week he is certain Manchester City will win the Premier League title this season, but Aston Villa may have forced him to rethink.
Not only did Unai Emery’s side beat the defending champions at Villa Park on Wednesday, they dominated the game in a way that few have been able to achieve over a Guardiola-led side since he started as coach with Barcelona in 2008.
Villa beat Manchester City 1-0 thanks to a sloppy effort from Leon Bailey, which was impressive, but only told half the story. The home team had 22 shots while City were unable to muster a meaningful attempt after the 11th minute, when striker Erling Haaland blocked a rare effort from Emi Martinez.
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It was a night when Villa looked like legitimate title contenders while City showcased the reasons why this is the year they surrender their title.
“The better team won,” Guardiola said afterwards. “Aston Villa were better than us. We struggled to make some runs and it was really difficult because they are really physical and able to control many aspects.
“That’s why they’re there, playing good football and we couldn’t do that. It’s my duty, my job to find a way to come back because over so many years together we’ve managed to find a way to play games.” Sometimes we play well, sometimes not, but we always find a way to do it and now we are struggling.”
It has now been four Premier League games without a win for City – equaling the longest winless run in the league under Guardiola – and further evidence of how important Rodri is to their hopes of success this season. With the Spain international suspended, Guardiola was unable to find any control in midfield that he wanted and the only surprise was that Villa took up to 74 minutes to score when Bailly twice got past Josko Gvardiol and scored with a powerful shot that deflected off Ruben Dias.
During the first half alone, Villa had 13 shots – the most faced by a Guardiola-managed side in a league match – and it took a series of saves from Ederson to somehow ensure the teams were level at the break.
Rodri missed four domestic matches this season, all of which City lost. As important as Haaland and Dias are, they simply cannot do without the defensive midfielder. Fortunately for Guardiola, he will return to play for Luton Town on Sunday.
Guardiola said: “Rodri is an important player, of course, but when he is not there we have to find a way to win without him.” “Six points [off the top] We would have preferred to be at the top of the league, but we achieved three draws and lost today. We have to change the dynamic and win as quickly as possible against Luton and Crystal Palace to continue staying there.”
Villa have their own crucial game at the weekend when Arsenal visit Villa Park, and if the title is being quietly mentioned in pubs around Aston at the moment, the lid will not be left in the air if they can beat Mikel Arteta’s side. After 14 successive home wins for Villa – matching the club record first set in 1903 – and seven wins from seven this season, there’s no reason not to.
Arsenal were the last team to win away in the Premier League at Villa Park last February, but Villa, buoyed by some clever summer transfer deals, are now a different prospect. Third in the table and just four points off the pace, City are the only ones to have scored more goals this season, and with Bailly and Ollie Watkins in particular, they are a team brimming with attacking intent. That should worry Arsenal, who conceded three goals at Luton on Tuesday.
Guardiola then said in his post-match press conference that Villa should be considered title contenders but Emery, who beat Guardiola for the first time after 15 years of trying, is not yet ready to agree.
“We have to be enthusiastic but we need to maintain a balance,” he said. “Right now we have to focus on Arsenal on Saturday. I want us to be a team with a winning mentality and to be balanced. If we can continue this process and win of course we have to believe. The last match against Bournemouth we almost lost. We have to be consistent.”
After a week in which Guardiola was unusually optimistic about City’s title hopes, the only real takeaway from Villa Park was that Emery and his players are the real deal. If Arsenal can boost their credentials with a last-minute win over Luton, why shouldn’t Villa’s takeover of Europe’s best team be seen as a similar statement of intent?
Guardiola will certainly not be so sure of a fourth successive title while flashes of confidence will shine through in Emery.
