Manchester City finally broke their seven-game winless streak, but there were still signs against Nottingham Forest that Pep Guardiola’s side are far from back to their best.
The return to the starting XI of Kevin De Bruyne will help them get there, though, and he got a goal and an assist on his first start since September. But Chris Wood missed a chance at 1-0 that could have changed the complexion of the match as City at times looked shaky in transition.
Guardiola selected Jack Grealish in a central role while Josko Gvardiol, who had struggled during the winless run, roamed from defence and often ended up leading attacks for City and Jeremy Doku, who got an excellent third for City, threatened throughout. The win was the main thing, but questions remain for Guardiola going forward.
Elias Burke and Thom Harris break down the action at the Etihad.
So, have City turned a corner?
Relief was the word of the evening at the Etihad Stadium, with City finally ending a run of seven consecutive matches without a win.
Still, the defensive fragility that plagued that period remains. Evidence of Guardiola’s struggles to address City’s lack of midfield protection on the counter-attack was visible inside five minutes, when a promising attack involving De Bruyne and Erling Haaland swiftly became a transition opportunity for Forest, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga leading an attack through the heart of Guardiola’s midfield.
Within 10 minutes, Forest were presented with another promising opportunity after Gvardiol was caught in possession near his 18-yard box by Forest winger Jota Silva. On that occasion, Stefan Ortega made an excellent save to deny Morgan Gibbs-White’s powerful curling effort.
While City might have looked more threatening in attack than in recent weeks, there’s little sign that Guardiola has the tools available in the absence of Rodri and Mateo Kovacic to fix the issues in transition.
Elias Burke
What did De Bruyne bring?
Since De Bruyne silenced the early questions over his transfer fee almost a decade ago, questions over the Belgian’s ability to produce at the highest level have been few and far between.
However, following his omission against Liverpool, a run of injuries and rumours of a potential rift between him and Guardiola, which the manager denied ahead of the match, those questions have started to surface once again.
His performance against Forest, including a goal, assist, and four chances created, demonstrated emphatically that the 33-year-old still has what it takes to be a game-changer for City.
De Bruyne floated between central and wide-right areas, but found his goal by moving inside from the inside left channel to find space on the edge of the penalty area. The finish, a thumped effort that flew past Matz Sels and into the top left corner, is one that the City faithful will recognise.
Elias Burke
Did Grealish in the centre work?
When Grealish was recalled into the starting lineup after being dropped to the bench for City’s 2-0 defeat to Anfield, few would have expected him to line up as a central midfielder. However, Grealish, initially recruited from Aston Villa with designs of eventually converting him into a No 8, was crucial in the middle of the park against Forest.
City’s issues with playing out from defence under pressure have been evident since Rodri’s injury, but Grealish brought a calming presence into midfield in possession, often unafraid to take touches and dribble past opposing players in tight areas. His distribution was of quality, too, completing 22 out of 22 attempted passes in the first half.
While his composure was not enough to stem City’s struggles in transition, he helped sustain attacks and offer some protection to Ilkay Gundogan at the base of midfield, who struggled to keep up with Forest’s pace.
He even helped out defensively, blocking a goalbound shot early on the line late in the first half. More than three years after his then-British record transfer, this performance may finally usher through the promised Grealish midfield experiment.
Elias Burke
What was the plan for Gvardiol?
Gvardiol’s first season as a City player was practically seamless, but the 22-year-old has been one of the many defensive players caught up in their panicked run of form. He was left on the bench last weekend at Anfield, at fault for Feyenoord’s opening goal in the Champions League in midweek after playing an awkward ball back to Ederson. We all know what happened next.
With Rico Lewis on the bench, Gvardiol started alongside four central defenders and, unusually, was tasked with being the “inverted” full-back from the left-hand side. City usually push their right back into midfield during build-up, but the switching of sides worked well to nullify the counter-attacking threat of Anthony Elanga — the player with the most goal contributions from fast breaks in the Premier League last season — who constantly had to track back to cover Gvardiol’s steaming runs. It didn’t take long for Nuno Espirito Santo to move Elanga over to the other flank.
But it was in attack where Gvardiol made the difference, a completely different prospect to Lewis with his more direct, physical approach. He would often be seen streaking ahead of Jack Grealish, notably latching on to a through ball from Haaland to fire just wide from a one-vs-one, before also arriving late into the box to steer a towering header just wide.
His role in the first goal shouldn’t go unnoticed either, driving to the byline with the ball at his feet before laying it back to Gundogan to attack the space.
There were still signs of City’s shakiness throughout — Gvardiol’s poor pass let Gibbs-White in for a shot that was well saved by Stefan Ortega — but the extra steel that the Croatian brought in midfield, where City have been light in recent weeks, leaves Guardiola with plenty to ponder.
Thom Harris
What next for Manchester City?
Saturday, December 7: Crystal Palace (away), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET
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(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
