MANCHESTER CITY 2, SUNDERLAND 1
Man City record sixth straight opening fixture Premier League win.
Sergio Aguero penalty opens the scoring but City fail to capitalise on possession
Jermain Defoe pounces on second half chance to equalise
Jesus Navas’ late cross goes in off ex-Man Utd defender Paddy McNair to seal win
On the evidence of the fight put up by Sunderland today, there will be no easy domestic games in England for Pep Guardiola.
Despite enjoying 77% possession in a tricky opening Premier League tie they came up against a gritty Sunderland side capable of weathering the pressure and with a sting in their tail.
The new Sunderland manager David Moyes, who enjoyed a brief spell in Spain with Real Sociedad, was bemused by all the attention being given to overseas superstar managers coming to the Premier League but he also urged City fans to be patient with the likes of Guardiola to get used to the English game.
“We all are fixated by overseas managers, and give very little credit to British managers.” he said.
“I understand why Pep Guardiola’s a sensational manager but you have to give him time to get used to it.
“I didn’t find it easy at first in Spain and he might not find it easy here but he has good players to work with.”
Guardiola realised what he was in for after seeing the earlier results of the Leicester and Spurs games, and conceded that, while the result was positive, there was work to do but he was happy with the attitude of his team.
He said: “We should attack quicker but that is normal for the moment we are in.
“I am pleased because we can build something from that to be a team.
“We needed more clear cut chances. It was not easy with ten players there who were physical. We were able to take more risks and go against them.
“From throw-ins and corners in the last minute from Sunderland, the likes of Kelechi and Aguero were not the tallest players but they defended the line with their lives.”
The Spaniard also explained he picked Willy Caballero for this game but that Joe Hart was left out in the cold.
“I think Willy made a very good pre-season. He gave me a lot of confidence for his play and personality.
When asked if he was picking ‘keepers for the league and the cups or a first choice keeper Guardiola was not conclusive, explaining:
“In Barca it’s like this [with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo] but in Germany it’s [Manuel] Neuer all the time.
“I trained with Cabellero on the high pressing game of Sunderland but that doesn’t mean Joe won’t get a chance.
“I have a lot of respect for Joe and know how good a keeper he is but today I decided to use Willy.
Like his goalkeepers, when asked about other players who were not involved today, Guardiola was keeping an open book. He explained:
“I decided today the team but that doesn’t mean in the future they won’t play. I want to create something that everyone is involved in.”
“Sometimes I have to take a decision that others may not like. Tosin [Adarabioyo] played well in pre-season and so did Angelino but today I decided I needed one rhythm higher and to create a good build up.
“For the short time we were together the players in the team did it really well.
“Now we travel to Romania to prepare together for our final to be in the Champions League and maybe they will play there.
“All the players could play on Tuesday in Romania against Steaua.”
City’s possession game almost backfired on them when Jermain Defoe cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s 5th minute penalty with a precision strike of his own with under 20 minutes to go.
It had all been plain sailing for City until the equaliser, and City looked bereft of answers until Jesus Navas’ cross, of all things, saved them.
Vito Mannone got to it first but his attempted parry hit the unsuspecting Paddy McNair in the face and went into the back of the net with just three nail biting minutes to go.
McNair had only been on the pitch for three minutes and 35 seconds having come on as a late substitute for goalscorer Defoe as Sunderland boss David Moyes looked to protect the draw.
A truncated pre-season, and a host of new signings – with perhaps more to come, had already led to intense speculation over the Spaniard’s first picks for the Premier League.
The first big call of Guardiola’s City reign, which leaked yesterday, was to drop England ‘keeper Joe Hart in favour of Willy Caballero.
There were debuts for John Stones and Nolito although Yaya Toure was not in the matchday squad apparently due to a small injury.
Stones was partnered by Aleksandar Kolarov in the heart of defence which was offered protection by Fernandinho and captain David Silva.
Nicolas Otamendi was not risked after a recent tendon injury with the Steaua Bucharest game on Tuesday but was fit enough to sit on the bench.
Further up front, Sergio Aguero was supported by an attacking trio of Nolito, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.
There wasn’t long to wait until the first goal of the Guardiola era, and it was no surprise that it came from Aguero.
Raheem Sterling created the opening after Fernandinho had released him for a run into the Sunderland penalty area where he was dragged down by Patrick Van Aanholt as he attempted to cut inside after just four minutes.
Aguero put the penalty away and put the Black Cats under the cosh as City went on to dominate with over 74% of the first half possession.
The Argentine hitman could have made it 2-0 while they were still reeling after just 10 minutes but Vito Mannone made the save.
Sunderland didn’t capitulate under the pressure though and created opportunities of their own on the break.
Long balls to Defoe and shots from outside the area showed that Caballero was a capable goalkeeper but no better than Hart when called on to distribute the ball under pressure – his first attempt sent the ball straight to a Sunderland player.
There was plenty of time to analyse City’s on-field game plans under Guardiola and they do look a different kind of horse this season as they adapt to his tactics.
Clichy and Sagna were joining midfield when City were in possession, while Fernandinho sometimes dropped deep when Stones advanced. Nolito and Sterling offered plenty of width further up the pitch while Silva and De Bruyne sometimes joined Aguero in attack.
Without an second goal to reward their possession, though, City were in danger of falling to the proverbial sucker punch.
Defoe had already given warning of this when he tested Caballero from a corner set piece before the break and he was still lurking in the second half as City’s intensity dropped when Fabio Borini slipped the ball to former City midfielder Jack Rodwell.
Rodwell’s through ball pierced the City defence and Defoe pounced with just under 20 minutes to go.
All that intricate passing and new tactical awareness with little end product was in danger of leaving City with just a point as David Moyes appeared to settle for a hard won draw.
While Jesus Navas’ late cross didn’t find a fellow City player, Mannone parried it into the face of a luckless Paddy McNair where it bounced into the back of the net and the points were City’s.