Time Wasting:
With Manchester City having become one of the Premier League powerhouses, we were always going to have to deal with sides ‘parking the bus’.
Sides, especially coming to our place, would defend with ten men behind the ball, the majority of those in the penalty area!
That is part of the game and, with David Silva, Kevin DeBruyne and co, we have the skill to play around and through them.
Where we would expect assistance is with sides who constantly waste time. I noticed it first around eleven minutes in, with Fraser Forster taking a good minute from the ball going out to him restarting the game.
Numerous times that happened and, despite me thinking he was booked, he remained unpunished for the duration of the game. Throw in’s were another source of frustration for Pep Guardiola and City fans. Seemingly no Southampton player was willing to actually play football at the Etihad, and with no repercussions from the referee, why would they.
Justice was done with that Raheem Sterling goal in the six minutes added time. With no real injury delay, and five substitutions, some of those minutes most likely came from the time-wasting during the game.