Manchester City haven’t been themselves this season, but for once, that turned out to be a good thing.
A 3-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates has Pep Guardila’s side back at the top of the Premier League, albeit with a game extra played.
A masterclass from Kevin De Bruyne saw the Belgian score the opener and assist Erling Haaland, while Jack Grealish bagged the other goal in a long-overdue title showdown.
The result marked a potentially defining point in the race for the title, in a season where City have struggled.
Guardiola’s men have been below their best, while questions have been asked about Haaland fitting into their team, despite his extraordinary goalscoring record.
But against Arsenal, it was substance over style, and Guardiola might have stumbled across something.
In what appeared to be a bizarre 3-2-4-1 formation pre-match, his side struggled, and Guardiola was honest when asked what the problem was.
“My tactics!” he said. “I tried something new and it was horrible.
“We are built as a team, as a crazy team. In the second half we were more aggressive, winning duels and when that happens we are a better team.
“What’s important is winning the game in this stadium. It was good but there are many, many games to play for everyone.
“Now we are top of the league but they have one game in hand.”
Despite his switch-up, there was still plenty new for City, as the stats showed.
The Sky Blues had just 36 per cent possession in the game, the lowest total for a league match in Guardiola’s entire managerial career.
City also recorded their lowest passing accuracy under Guardiola [72.76%] and fewest successful passes [219], but still came out on top.
Guardiola thinks City showed their best in the second 45, but his record signing disagreed.
“If I’m being honest I don’t think we played that well,” Grealish said post-match.
“I think Arsenal played a lot better than us, I think they were the better team.”
When told about Guardiola’s new possession low, the winger was in shock.
“Thirty six?” he asked in disbelief. “I don’t really want to say much about that.
“That’s what I mean, though, I thought they were the better team. I thought they had a few chances.
“I think if you win titles you’ve got to come to grounds like this and win games even when you’re not at your best.”
There was a clear disconnect between the manager and his star player, and debate will certainly continue over who is right, and therefore whether City are the real deal or not this season.
All Arteta can do is hope Grealish ends up being proved correct, and not only be the better team for their final showdown in April but for the 16 games left to conquer.
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