About 25 mins in to this game, David Silva did something we have not seen him do for a couple of seasons. He gave the ball away. It wasnt wrestled from him. He wasn’t roughed up by bigger players. He simply gave the ball away in a careless misplaced pass.
The careless giving away of the ball seemed to catch all of the Manchester City midfield at various points in the game. Ilkay Gundogan who last week against Huddersfield probably gave his best performance in a City shirt was this week reduced to a bystander. A bystander who was infected with the same sloppiness which ran through the side.
It’s not clear what has happened to reach this point. In the first few weeks of the season Manchester City have sparkled as they have torn teams apart. Today the light had gone out. City looked leggy and slow. The passes went astray. The running was good and despite the sloppiness City still managed to carve out enough chances to have sneaked a victory in this game.
Three times City hit the woodwork. Once the Wolves goalkeeper Patricio touched a rasping and curling Raheem Sterling shot onto the crossbar. Aguero struck the bar and the post. This was one of those games where the profligacy in front of goal would count.
Wolves were bright and pressed hard throughout. Full of running and industry but lacking in any real end product. They profited today from City failing to close down, from second balls and from City’s own sloppy passing.
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We could all feel a goal was coming for Wolves. The goal involved a cross past one offside player and bobbled across the 6 yard line where a Wolves defender missed his header and the ball went into the net off his arm. Why did Ederson stand and watch. Why were the city back four stationary? Those are questions for the inquest in the coming days.
The goal was handled into the net but disallowing it would have been harsh. The handball was difficult to spot even on a TV replay. Although I am sure if Raheem Sterling had pushed the ball into the net his attempt would have been disallowed and he’d have probably been sent to prison.
Vincent Kompany was like many of the City players, off the pace today. His passing was pretty poor for a period in the first half and consequently City failed to build attacks from the back. Instead we were placed under unnecessary pressure.
Benjamin Mendy made few insightful runs or overlaps, instead he felt hemmed in. On a couple of occasions his defensive positioning was suspect and at one point he made the cardinal sin of the professional football player and committed a foul throw. Carelessness abounded.
City scored from another set piece. The ball whipped into the area by Gundogan who by that point had done little to justify his selection. It was met with a header of power and accuracy by Aymeric Laporte who opened his City account.
City threatened the Wolves goal on a few occasions and should have scored from one of the chances but on balance the draw was a fair result.
The City team were cancelled out by 10 men behind the ball, pressing and quick breaks. Every ball seemed to fall to the opposition today. City will need to improve on this performance in their next few matches and add some zing back into their game.
Adding Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sane today in the last 12 minutes did little to change the game. If anything we looked less likely to score as both players seemed to be effected by the same malaise. Sane ran into his own players. Mahrez spooned a chance high and wide.
Much of the after match discussion was reserved for the non penalty awarded to David Silva. He appeared to have his legs taken in the box as he prepared to shoot but the referee Martin Atkinson waved away any protests. Booking the Spaniard for dissent. Whilst I thought the penalty should have been awarded it wasn’t that which cost us the game. We didn’t do enough in the 90 minutes to earn a victory and that is something we have not said for over a season.
So a day of being cancelled out. Wasteful in possession. Not taking our chances in front of goal. Few of the players other than Sergio Aguero, Sterling and Laporte emerged with much credit. Strangely the player most likely to benefit from this insipid performance was Phil Foden, who I would now expect to play some part next week.
Whether a draw away at Wolves is considered a good result will become clear over the course of the season but on today’s performance it was all Manchester City deserved.