Manchester City might have lifted the Community Shield with 5-4 penalty shoot out against Liverpool but they could’ve equally lost it.
The Reds proved a more difficult opponent to City who did have lion share of possession but strangely surrender the goal scoring opportunities to Liverpool who had Mohamed Salah to blame for the numerous misses.
If Salah has converted just one of his chances, Liverpool would’ve won the game. Call it rustiness or over zealousness, the Egyptian was just predictable for Claudio Bravio who knew Salah will always try to stick in it in the near post and all he had to do was cover that area well which he did brilliantly.
But despite the keepers heroic shootout, City still have areas in their pitch they must work on.
Here are the areas Manchester City must work on
1. Manchester City do not have top left back-
Zinchenko still remains City’s preferred choice in that position but the Ukraine international is not a left back by trade, he is central midfielder who lacks the strength and stamina to stand against the best right forward in the world.
He showed his limitation against Mohamed Salah and was lucky the Egyptian forget his shooting boot at home.
If Manchester City are serious about winning the Champions League then they must work on that area.
2. Defensively, Manchester City is vulnerable
The combination of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi might seem good on paper but on the pitch both defenders were shaky.
City can’t rely on those two to win big trophies this season and Liverpool proved they are vulnerable when they come against pacy attackers. With Vincent Kompany gone, City must now sign a central defender to partner their only reliable defender Aymeric Laporte.
3. Rodri is a good passer of the ball but he lacks the tenacity and tenacious tackling/marking of Fernandinho-
Fernandinho is not all about passing the ball all around, he is excellent in closing down spaces, retrieving the ball in great speed and making the last ditch tackle. One aspect of his game that makes him really good is his tenacity and ferocious sliding to win back the ball.
Rodri might be new to the English game but, if he is to repalce Fernandinho, he must bring that ferocity to his game.
4. Raheem Sterling pays too much attention to detail and less to instinct-
Sterling seems to be the only one Pep Guardiola talks to this day. He listens to the manager, sinks it deep and try as much as possible to replicate what Guardiola told him in real time situation. But, the only problem is that he over thinks and messes up everything.
The England international missed a glorious chance against Liverpool to further prove he is listening too much to Guardiola and not playing to his undoubted instinct. If Guardiola can tone down the hair dryer treatment and let the winger been, just maybe he will score goals for fun and not over think.
5. Kevin de Bruyne won’t last the full length of the season, he will break down-
Just like last season, the sign of another breakdown is imminent.. De Bruyne’s body can no longer take the rigour and tenacity of the game.
Its sad that a player of such a remarkable gift will have to struggle like this but, whenever he is fit, he always remain a delight to watch.
