Not Just Guardiola's "Psy War".
City's suffering at Forest's headquarters proves Guardiola's words. City still have a long way to go to defend their title.
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Manchester City player Erling Haaland (left/9) kicks the ball to score a goal against Nottingham Forest in an English League match at The City Ground Stadium, Nottingham, on Sunday (28/4/2024). City won 2-0 in that match.
NOTTINGHAM, SUNDAY — After the bad results that befell the championship candidate team, Liverpool, Manchester City Manager Josep Guardiola said, the title race is still winding. It is very possible that his team will also stumble in the remainder of the season. It turned out that this was not just psychological warfare from the manager.
Guardiola's words almost came true when City visited bottom team Nottingham Forest at The City Ground Stadium, Sunday (28/4/2024) evening WIB. They did manage to steal three points with a 2-0 win. However, this result was achieved with great suffering and smelled of luck.
Guardiola spoke again after the match and stated that there are no easy league games. "Today was very difficult because the opposing team was very aggressive and had quality fast players. They played with courage. It is very, very difficult to play a heavy match like earlier at this stage (towards the end of the season)," he said.
City's dominance in ball possession, 66.8 percent, is not very significant. The hosts were much more dangerous with lightning counter attacks, especially in the first hour of the match. Forest is superior in number of shots 14-11, touches in the penalty box 23-18, and quality of opportunities 1.66-0.77 xG (expected goals).
The expression of Nottingham Forest player, Chris Wood, when Manchester City scored their first goal in the English Premier League match at The City Ground Stadium in Nottingham on Sunday (28/4/2024). City won the match 2-0.
The city is very lucky, but Forest is unable to take advantage of rainy opportunities. Nottingham Forest's veteran attacker, Chris Wood, became the most sinful figure. He missed three golden opportunities in front of the goal. His shots always missed the target. Efficiency in the penalty box distinguishes the two teams, the top and the bottom.
City's first goal was scored by defender Josko Gvardiol in the 32nd minute. The goal came from a corner kick scheme. At that time, Forest only had 10 players on the field. Wing forward Neco Williams is receiving treatment on the sidelines. Kevin De Bruyne and his colleagues took advantage of that small moment.
"In some moments, we suffer. We were lucky today because the field was very dry. It also caused them to miss some good opportunities. The field condition favored us today. If I may say so, this match was more than difficult, but we had already anticipated that," said Guardiola.
Meanwhile, Guardiola fielded almost all the main players. Only a few mainstay players are on the bench, such as striker Erling Haaland and defender John Stones. Attacking midfielder Phil Foden was not included in the squad that visited Forest headquarters.
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Manchester City player, Josko Gvardiol (left/24), headed the ball to score a goal against Nottingham Forest in a Premier League match at The City Ground Stadium, Nottingham, on Sunday (28/4/2024). City won the match 2-0.
Gvardiol took a deep breath as the long whistle blew. He immediately sat down and stretched his legs. It was clear that the Croatian national team defender was very exhausted. This was understandable as Gvardiol had played for 90 minutes again with less than three days rest after the away match against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Just like Gvardiol, other City players also appear to be not in their best condition. They do not show high intensity as they have throughout this season. The away team often loses duels against Forest players who are very aggressive, such as midfielder Danilo and defender Willy-Arnaud Boly.
Forest, with a 5-4-1 formation, relies heavily on attacks from the wings. The team coached by Manager Nuno Espirito Santo uses the speed of wing attackers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga. City's defenders are often overwhelmed in transition situations. They focus on guarding the penalty box area.
Due to their comfortable attacking, Forest even dared to play with a high defensive block after drinking. They pressed until City's defense. "It's not easy to create a lot of situations against City, but we were able to do it. This is a good performance even though the result is disappointing," said Santo.
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If you could say, this match was more than difficult, but we expected that
Manchester City players, Erling Haaland (left) and Josko Gvardiol, shake hands after the match against Nottingham Forest in an English League match at The City Ground Stadium, Nottingham, on Sunday (28/4/2024). City won 2-0 in that match.
Fitness issues are very likely to disrupt "The Citizens" in their remaining schedule. They still have four more matches to face, including an away game at Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur's home ground, two teams that are on paper much better than Forest who are struggling to avoid relegation.
The fate of the champion is still in City's hands. They will lift the trophy at the end of the season if they can win all four remaining matches. "In my opinion, this victory is more than just three points. We need to focus more on ourselves from now on. There are four finals waiting for us, let's do our best," said Gvardiol.
Meanwhile, the appearance of striker Erling Haaland as a cameo successfully saved City. Not even ten minutes after being brought on in the second half, he immediately fulfilled City's lead. Haaland only needed one golden opportunity to end the game. Forest lost momentum after that.
The team City is still in second place in the standings with 79 points from 34 matches, below Arsenal who has played one more match (80 points). With a very narrow point gap between the two teams, it is very possible that the championship competition will continue until the last second of the final week of the league. (AP/REUTERS)
