Top of the table against bottom of the table, a foregone conclusion it seemed. Alas, football is never played on paper, and Remi Garde’s plucky Aston Villa held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in the Midlands, defying the odds.
The ‘new manager bounce’ brought on by the Frenchman’s presence may have had something to do with it, but the travelling side were a little blunt throughout the 90 minutes, and have left the door open for Arsenal to climb above them heading into the international break.
So what did we learn at Villa Park? Well, here are THREE things!
Man City still lack depth up front
It was rather ironic to see Edin Dzeko scoring for Roma against Lazio in Serie A while Manchester City plugged away against Aston Villa without a recognised striker on the pitch. Wilfried Bony limped off in the first half to join Sergio Aguero on the treatment table, and although Kevin De Bruyne can fill the role, it’s bizarre to see a side with the Citizens’ means with a clear area of deficiency.
The lack of edge really showed as the aforementioned Belgian missed from four yards, while Raheem Sterling, in a similar position, headed straight at Brad Guzan.
That said, the Sky Blues are, at the time of writing, the Premier League’s top goalscorers, but it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see another player come in in January to keep their title charge going.
Garde has something to work with
Villa’s season had looked pretty bleak up until today. Although their only win remains that opening day beating of Bournemouth, to hold the league leaders, and title favourites, to a draw is creditable to say the least.
The ‘new manager bounce’ phenomenon may have come into play, but the XI seemed up for the fight under Garde, who appears to have repaired some of the defensive frailties from Tim Sherwood’s reign. Okay, there’s plenty left to do, but with two thirds of the season left, there’s time.
Sterling cannot be considered world class until he can finish
Two of City’s key moments involved Sterling. In the first half the winger was played in down the left but appeared reluctant to shoot on his weaker foot. He cut in and went down under a challenge, but penalty was not given. Forgivable, but had he been more direct, he may have scored.
And in the second half the ex-Liverpool man had a free header from four yards, but was unable to beat Brad Guzan. The American kept the ball out with his own head, but he shouldn’t have had the chance to do so against a £49m player.
Although talented, Sterling really needs to work on his finishing ability, as routine chances being missed are all too common in his game.