Does the system failure that led to Manchester City’s worst Premier League campaign since Guardiola’s first season in charge, and defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley, point to the need for a reboot or something more radical?
At Wembley, City had all the possession in the world without discomfiting Palace unduly. Of course, Dean Henderson made half a dozen key saves, one from the spot, and should have been red-carded for his errant swipe to knock the ball off Haaland’s boot, but in the past City would not have been poring over details to excuse defeat, they would just blow teams away.
"It doesn't matter, who cares."
Dean Henderson reacts to that handball incident #FACup pic.twitter.com/WgSae8obtX
Contrast that with the plight of Haaland, the most lethal centre forward on earth boxed in by his own team. The moment of penalty avoidance was symbolic of systemic failure. Granted he had been injured since the start of April, but that would not have held back the marauder that blew through Premier League defences in his first coming.
The sense of an idea losing its force was ruthlessly rammed home at Anfield in December when City were ransacked by a rampaging Liverpool. City could not live with the intensity or pace of Liverpool in the opening half. The most telling aspect was the emasculation of Haaland, who floundered fruitlessly, unable to gain any purchase in the contest.
In January, City announced a nine-year contract extension to keep Haaland at the Etihad until 2034. It was the kind of power play intended to signal dominance and strength, to project the virility of the Abu Dhabi empire. The idea then that City might end the season emptyhanded or outside the Champions League spots, that Guardiola would return from a visit to Wembley looking beaten up, sitting alone on the team bus, would not have entered the heads of many.
Guardiola begrudgingly congratulated Palace whilst in the same breath dug them out for their defensive structure and time wasting. “All the fans are there to let the 22 players play, play, play, play. So, when you see Barcelona now, they’re losing, attack, attack, attack, attack, and the other team attack, attack. The show is beautiful. My team, I never try [to defend/waste time] because I try to play the game like the people deserve to watch.”
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Kyle Walker is gone, Kevin De Bruyne, Guardiola’s major-general, is going. Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan are in decline. Phil Foden, once City’s great hope, was worth only 15 minutes in a losing effort at Wembley. Those bought to take the story on, Jermey Doku, Savinho and Omar Marmoush, lack the gravitas and consistency to bully teams.
And at the sharp end, the emblematic Haaland pays the price of a system that appears increasingly outmoded, overtaken by time and the fast, aggressive rhythms of teams that are far more direct than Guardiola’s.
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