Ranking Manchester City's top 5 players from GW 1 of the Premier League
Manchester City's title defense got off to the worst start possible as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham in Game week 1 of their 2021-22 Premier League campaign.
Despite dominating the game in terms of possession, Manchester City could not break down Nuno Espirito Santo's Tottenham side. They ultimately fell to a defeat courtesy of a second-half striker from Heung-min Son.
Pep Guardiola opted to start the game without a recognized striker, as Ferran Torres led the line for the Cityzens. His gameplan backfired as the Spaniard often cut an isolated figure throughout the game. Star man Kevin De Bruyne also started from the bench, but came on in the second-half. However, even though the Belgian midfielder looked sharp, he found it difficult to impose his will on the game.
The game was fairly even throughout, but the lack of clinicality ended up being Manchester City's downfall in the end. Despite the loss, however, some players did end up putting in decent performances for Pep Guardiola's side.
So without further ado, here are
Manchester City's top 5 players from GW 1 of the Premier League
#5 Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan put in an all-action performance for Manchester City against Tottenham. The midfielder did well to try and control the tempo of the game, whilst also sticking to his defensive duties.
In an attacking sense, Gundogan kept causing problems with his runs into the box from midfield, but lacked the final product to make it count on the night. The German battled well against Tottenham Hotspur's midfielders and helped keep Manchester City on the front foot throughout the game while in possession.
Gundogan also made a great goal-line block from a Lucas Moura strike to keep Spurs from going 2-0 up early in the second half. The City star suffered an injury scare during the dying moments of the game as he looked to have hurt his shoulder after a collision with Sergio Reguilon. Pep Guardiola will hope it's not as serious as it looked at the time, as the German is a vital part of his midfield.
#4 Jack Grealish
Manchester City's record signing Jack Grealish can be proud of his Premier League debut for his new club despite the loss. The England international played in an unfamiliar No. 8 role against Tottenham and provided City with a creative spark and attacking flair from midfield.
As per usual, Grealish was the most fouled player in the game due to his quick feet and agility on the ball. The Englishman constantly drove at Tottenham's defense and tried to cause problems in and around the box. However, he was guilty of overplaying the ball at times and also could not find the end-product for all his good work.
As far as debuts go, Pep Guardiola should be happy with Grealish's contribution against Spurs. If this is a sign of things to come, one can expect the Englishman to be a huge hit at Manchester City this season.