SSometimes the only explanation that makes sense is that instead of soccer being ruled by the laws of physics or data or xG or logic, soccer is actually an evil god, capricious and mischievous, and sometimes it's There are a lot of things you can do that attack you, but actually aren't.
The Manchester derby turned out to be a dreadful match between the two tentative sides, with a lack of confidence and belief, some poking and poking, and little indication of being two of the most successful clubs in Premier League history. Ta. However, City had all three shots on target in the first half, and in that sense it was worth taking the lead when Hoshko Gvardiol headed home Kevin De Bruyne's deflected cross. It was the eighth time United have conceded from a corner this season and the fourth under manager Ruben Amorim.
But in the second half United tried to play without looking particularly good. The city did not. they froze. Amad Diallo was the only player who looked a bit dangerous, but United kept winning. Still, everything suggested that a crushing 1-0 defeat for City would move them within six points of leaders Liverpool and perhaps restore morale.
But then Matheus Nunes made his mistake worse with a reckless attempt to win the ball back after he forced a short backpass to allow Diallo to nip in, giving him a penalty. Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty after what was arguably his worst game in a United shirt. Nunez was initially deployed at left-back as part of Guardiola's shake-up, with some looking for a new combination that might help him settle down. It was a choice to remind us of the strange decisions Guardiola made before big games in Europe, but if he thinks too much about the game against this United team, he will really be doomed.
Once United had scored one goal, there was a strange inevitability to the second goal. A long punt, Diallo simply running diagonally between the two centre-backs who were too far apart, a relaxed first touch past Ederson, and a volley finish. Pure cruelty dripping gently from between Gvaldior's legs. None of it could be explained, but some distant soul decided that Guardiola, a ruthlessly rational man who had enjoyed years of unprecedented success, should suffer. Adjust positionhe has to experience the helplessness familiar to most managers in one concentrated draft.
On October 29, Erik ten Hag was sacked as Manchester United manager. The next day City lost to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, a night whose dark meaning was underlined by the fact that Timo Werner scored. Since Ten Hag left, City have lost eight of 11 games, beating only Nottingham Forest. Imagine what they would have been like if Jim Ratcliffe had actually been decisive enough to replace him in the summer.
And in the Premier League, while Liverpool and Arsenal stuttered over the weekend, Chelsea emerged the winner – a chaotic Chelsea, with a ridiculously inflated squad, walking the tightrope of PSR – an inexorable winner. I see, a plot twist that no one expected will happen. It's one of those seasons that reminds us of how difficult it is for City, and to a lesser extent Arsenal and Liverpool, to gain an upper hand in recent years, despite the financial well-being of the elite. The level of mid-level players in the Premier League is extremely high, not only for Aston Villa and Tottenham, but also for Brighton, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford. All of a sudden, interestingly, every game seems full of possibilities – and that's no surprise.
But the meltdown was so spectacular and unexpected that attention remains on City. My feet and heart became one. It's like sitting in Rome in 410 and watching the Visigoths storm in from the horizon and the empire collapse in real time. As St. Jerome wrote at the time, what can be safe if it can perish? City will start winning again at some point, but the damage has been done and the aura may never return.
List of upcoming matches Villa away, Everton at home, Leicester away and West Ham at home, so normally it doesn't seem like it would be that taxing. But Villa have been uncharacteristic of late, outscoring City in comparable games last season – a match that may soon be seen as a harbinger of the end of Guardiola's era of supremacy – and Above, the city is like this now. Anyone can lose.
Can Guardiola go? It's a ridiculous idea, given how much he has won and how City's project is centered around him, but managers tend not to recover from conceded goals like this – 2020/21 season Jurgen Klopp's three wins in 14 league games, a season affected by the coronavirus, is perhaps the only comparable counterexample. Guardiola looked puzzled afterwards. As he has recently come to recite, all things shall pass. Including his Manchester City empire.
There may not even be a great reason for it. It's just that football dictates that it has to be done.
On this day
However turbulent things have been for Manchester United over the last ten years, it hasn't been as turbulent as it was on December 16, 1972, when Manchester United achieved perhaps their worst performance since World War II. They were -0 away from Crystal Palace, who were in last place. After winning the European Cup in 1968, the decline was severe. Matt Busby retired in 1969 but remained as general manager, undermining first Wilf McGuinness and then Frank O'Farrell.
The 1972-1973 season got off to a bad start, and in November George Best, whose behavior had deteriorated, was charged with slapping a woman at a club and subsequently found guilty. Mr O'Farrell fined him £200 and suspended him. Best went to London, but did not attend a board meeting to discuss his actions and was placed on the transfer list. But then Buzbee gave him another chance. The players, fed up with his antics, were appalled and, as Reg Drury wrote in the News of the World, “surrendered as docilely as the managers had in the confrontation with George Best.'' did”. The following week, Mr. O'Farrell and Mr. Best were fired, although Mr. Best was expected to be given further reprieve.
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This is an excerpt from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, the Guardian's weekly coverage of matches in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com. We'll get the best answer in a future edition.
