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West Ham 1-1 Manchester City: Lethargic City drop more points

By J.C. Gonzalez

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City battles for possession with Arthur Masuaku of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester City at London Stadium on October 24, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Justin Tallis - Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City battles for possession with Arthur Masuaku of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester City at London Stadium on October 24, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Justin Tallis - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City were poor once again, but this time were punished with two points dropped.

Manchester City came into this match against West Ham United with clear expectations. With Virgil Van Dijk more than likely out for the season, the pressure was on City to return to peak form for the first time this season. However, City were dreadful for large stretches yet again as they slumped to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.

City have yet to play well at any point this season, and did themselves by going down a goal in the first half at the hands of Michail Antonio. It took the introduction of Phil Foden in the second half for City to respond, but after the equalizer, the team produced little more than half chances as West Ham survived to earn a solid point.

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The Hammers defended effectively, but in truth, their defense was creaking toward the end of the match. I believe teams such as Liverpool and Everton would have found a winner in a similar situation, but it was just more of the same that we have seen this season. With each game that passes, I become more and more doubtful of City’s newly-ascribed role as presumptive title favorites. It is surely based on reputation rather than what everyone is seeing occur on the pitch. Despite Liverpool’s struggles, City continue to give them and other contenders gifts at every stop along the way.

The team is slow in possession, shows little forward intent, and creates very little. Moreover, they are far from clinical in front of goal, scoring just eight goals all season, which is less than Brighton, who sit in 16th. It’s a far cry from a team that even at their lowest point last year was electric, hitting the 100-goal mark as the division’s top scorers by a mile. City are currently on pace for just 61 points, a bar so low that it seems almost impossible for them to actually finish around that mark, but it goes to show how terrible this team has really looked.