5 Manchester City players who underperformed in 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace | Premier League 2021-22
Pep Guardiola sent out a strong team to face Crystal palace but the Manchester City players made way too many mistakes. The Cityzens lost 2-0 at home to the Eagles after goals from Wilfried Zaha and Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher.
The loss leaves them 5 points behind league leaders Chelsea – who managed to beat Newcastle United 3-0 at the same time. Guardiola was disappointed after the defeat and his anger was seen in the post-match press conference.
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🔵 0-2 🦅 #ManCity https://t.co/G2klz7hbYa
He said:
"We're not able to win the game, we conceded our first goal [at home in the Premier League this season] and after we work really well in the first half and, I would say, 25 to 30 minutes in the second one. But after playing for 45 minutes 10 against 11, a team like us we need the process and do everything right, that the people, the players, show character. But unfortunately it went wrong in many, many things and we lose the game."
"We conceded the goal early on but how many chances did they have? They had that goal and no more [in the first half]. It is quite similar the last seasons when Crystal Palace came here under (Roy) Hodgson. We lost one game one year and we drew another one."
Here are 5 Manchester City players who underperformed in the loss to Crystal Palace:
#5 - Bernardo Silva
The only compliment to give Bernardo for this game is that he kept trying to do something, but nothing worked. He was way below par today, just like all the other Manchester City players, but the bar he has set himself this season puts him on the list.
Bernardo played the full 90 minutes and completed just one dribble. The worst part is he did not even try hard enough as the only other dribble he attempted was stopped straight away.
Even in passing, the Portuguese was sloppy and saw a lot of his passes get intercepted. In the end, he had a pass success of 87%, 1 dribble completed and not a single attempt on goal.
FULL-TIME | A frustrating afternoon.
🔵 0-2 🦅 #ManCity https://t.co/VJlut8Hc4y
#4 - Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling came on for the last 12 minutes of the game and made no difference. The Englishman was expected to bring energy to the attack and wriggle past the Crystal Palace defense but he did not manage to do anything special.
The former Liverpool star attempted just 6 passes in the game and only 3 of them managed to find a teammate. He replaced Jack Grealish, who offered a lot more in attack even on his off days.
Sterling's time at Manchester City is reportedly in the balance, with the winger confirming his desire to leave the club if things do not change. It would not be a surprise if the club move on from him in the next two windows.