3 Key Takeaways: Manchester City pummels Bournemouth 4-0 at Etihad
By Larry Henry
Manchester City’s undefeated start to the 2016-17 Barclays Premier League season continued on Saturday as they defeated A.F.C. Bournemouth at the Etihad 4-0.
After a convincing 4-0 victory in their opening match of the UEFA Champions League group-stage on Wednesday, Manchester City looked just as good on Saturday as they returned to league play.
Bournemouth were coming into Saturday’s match looking to build off their 1-0 victory vs West Brom a week ago.
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With Sergio Aguero serving the second match of a three-match suspension, Kelechi Iheanacho returned to the starting line-up coming off a goal last week at Manchester United and a goal midweek. Ilkay Gundoan and Kevin De Bruyne highlighted the midfield while Aleksandar Kolarov started with Nicolas Otamendi as the centerbacks. Six players out with injuries, allowed some other players to feature on the bench as well.
Pep Guardiola‘s side kicked off the match on the front foot, as De Bruyne forced an early save from Bournemouth’s Artur Boruc within the first ten seconds. De Bruyne would start off the scoring 15 minutes in after his free-kick dipped underneath the Bournemouth wall and into the net for a 1-0 City lead.
Ten minutes later, Kelechi Iheanacho doubled the hosts tally as he tapped home from Raheem Sterling‘s assist following a City fast-break. It was the youngster’s third goal in the last seven days in all competitions.
Three minutes into the second half, Manchester City made it 3-0 after Sterling tapped home from Iheanacho’s assist following a fast-break. Ilkay Gundogan capped the scoring in the 66th minute after a scrumptious assist from De Bruyne allowed the German to curl home easily from inside the box to make it 4-0.
The only blemish for Manchester City in the match took place in the 86th minute as winger Nolito was shown a straight red-card for heading Bournemouth’s Adam Smith in frustration following a confrontation. The Spaniard is likely to be receiving a three-match ban following the red card.
However, at the final whistle, Manchester City looked dominant as they picked up another important three points at home. City led in possession 64%-36%, and forced 12 shots on target out of 20. Claudio Bravo made two saves for the clean sheet, while Boruc was forced into eight saves.
According to BBC Sport, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola felt his team wasn’t at their best pressuring Bournemouth but did well at counter-attacking. “Our high pressing was not perfect today – we had problems with controlling the Bournemouth build-up, but we created a lot of counter-attacks.
After today’s win at home, here are my three key takeaways from the match.
1.) Kevin De Bruyne’s fast start helped City the rest of the way.
The Belgian has been a top player for Manchester City since he joined the club last season. His free-kick goal, helped spark the start of a rout for the Manchester City offense. His assist later to Gundogan was a pass that he made look easy. I feel that without David Silva in the line-up, De Bruyne has stepped up his game big time and especially in big matches. Against Manchester United, he tallied the opening goal and the game-winning assist to add to his stats for the season. His talent is undeniable and if he keeps performing then we should see no let-up by the Manchester City offense.
2.) It may not have been the best pressure, but City defended when they needed to.
Guaridola stated in his post-match interview that his side didn’t present enough high pressure, but overall they did well attacking on the counter. With John Stones starting the match on the bench, Gael Clichy came into the side as well as Bacary Sagna. It seems that whoever the back-four is made up of that Manchester City’s defense looks a lot more comfortable this season compared to the early stages of last. They only allowed 36% possession to the visitors, while only allowing two shots on goal. And with Vincent Kompany on today’s bench, it just shows that Guardiola will have more reinforcements to choose from.
3.) Raheem Sterling has been a resurgence early this season.
Another reason for Manchester City’s superb play to the start of the campaign is the play of Raheem Sterling. The England international didn’t do too well in the summer EURO’s but seems to be enjoying playing under Guardiola so far. Playing mainly on the wings, Sterling seems to have the confidence to take defenders on again. In seven matches in all comps, Sterling has netted three goals and five assists. He seems to know his job on the field, while also being able to track back and help back his team defend. Sterling deserves high praise for his quick start to the campaign and I feel we will be seeing a lot more as the season goes on in England and in Europe.
Next: Manchester City injury update: 6 players likely to sit
Manchester City will have a busy week ahead, as they travel to Swansea City on Wednesday for their EFL Cup match before facing the Swans again next Saturday in the Premier League.