Manchester City were handed a reality check by Leicester City as they suffered a 5-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City’s Premier League start came crashing down to Earth as they collapsed in disastrous fashion to be demolished at the hands of Leicester City. Jamie Vardy scored a hat-trick to make it nine goals in 10 matches against Manchester City as the Foxes made light work of the home side.
Although City had serious injury issues, the team they put out had enough quality to beat Leicester. After going up a goal through a great Riyad Mahrez strike, the team offered nothing for the rest of the match as they were deservedly beaten.
1. Mendy is not Manchester City Quality
The club and supporters have been dancing around warning signs for several months. After near-constant injury issues, Benjamin Mendy has simply not been good enough. A horrid performance today is just the latest example of a player who has not lived up to the price tag. He is defensively weak, slow, and offers little going forward. He has had defenders at nearly every turn due to the team’s desire to make it work, but he is an inferior footballer to João Cancelo even at an unnatural position. As soon as the Portuguese is fit, he should start every week, and City should begin the search for a new left-back at the next possible opportunity.
2. Liam Delap’s time has arrived
Manchester City have not had a physical presence up top since the departure of Edin Džeko. While Pep Guardiola got his tactics wrong in not starting the 17-year old and sacrificing Fernandinho to bring him on, he is a better fit for the central position than Raheem Sterling. The thought of turning to such an inexperienced player is difficult to stomach, but this is the reality of City’s current situation. His chance has arrived.
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3. Test One: Failure
City were the ones who had to prove that they would be able to contend against Liverpool after finishing 18 points off the top last season. Despite this, Liverpool are playing with real hunger while City looked complacent, arrogant, and vulnerable in a performance that is simply not how future champions play. Assuming Liverpool win tomorrow, City will be six points behind after playing just two games. Leicester was a real opportunity to show that they had what it takes to win big matches and contend for trophies, and City unequivocally failed. The title race is not dead yet, but if I were a betting man, I would say that it is far more likely that City are in for another long season rather than one covered in glory.