Manchester City 2 Cardiff City 0 : Player Ratings and Man of the Match
By David Crook
The Attackers
Riyad Mahrez
On the plus side tonight we saw Riyad release a pass which did lead to the all important second goal. On the flip side though we still saw him shooting when he should have passed and passing when he should shoot. We also saw a lot of his repeated coming inside on his stronger foot after a few step overs. These moves did not seem to be bearing fruit even against Cardiff. Need to see more if we are to believe he deserves a starting spot in big games.
Player Rating 6
Gabriel Jesus
Some good application, movement and work rate but his finishing was not good enough tonight. Frustratingly so on at least two occasions where his decision making when he chose to go for the flamboyant rather than making sure cost us a couple of certain goals.
Player Rating 7
Leroy Sane
Instrumental in some of our key pieces of play. His movement was good to watch throughout the game and he tracked back to help break down Cardiff attacks too. This was a good display by our German poster boy and we know we need him to sign a new contract.
Player Rating 8
The Substitutes and Man of the Match
Kyle Walker
This was a good display by Kyle against a team which to be honest was not very adventurous. He moved the ball well and used his pace to sweep up the random forward pieces of play. He broke into the opposition penalty area a number of times and even crossed the ball well. However there was a moment when he seemed to have given them a goalscoring chance. As my Dad says, he always seems to have a mistake in him.
Player Rating 8
Next. Back to The Top of the Table: Manchester City 2 Cardiff 0. dark
Man City Square Man of the Match
This was a surprisingly difficult choice to make as both Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden had excellent games. Foden looked as though he was capable of stepping into our side at any point and must now in serious contention to compete for the limited spots we have. De Bruyne ran the midfield and showed glimpses of his vision and ability. Most importantly he seemed to be having no issues with his knees.
Taking that all into account we have selected De Bruyne as our Man of the Match for what feels like the first time in a very long time. The best thing of all is that the signs are good he may be be able too influence the key games we have left to play, and that feels like a new signing.