Five Things Learned: Brentford 2-2 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw by a resilient Brentford on Tuesday night, forcing the defending Premier League champions to make do with a single point.

Pep Guardiola’s side travelled to London off the back of a three-game winning streak, hoping to pick up all three points to seal a spot in the Premier League’s top-four. However, the hosts were prompt to make it known that the task would not be easy.

Brentford squandered early chances in front of goal but did well in containing the visitors in attack. City looked to break away a few times but could not deter the defence and were limited to only two shots on target in the first-half as neither side could get on the scorecard.

The second-half took an intense turn with good plays from both sides. The Bees almost grabbed an opening goal through Yoane Wissa but were denied by Josko Gvardiol. In the immediate aftermath, Savinho found Kevin De Bruyne on the right, and the Belgian whipped a cross towards Phil Foden.

The England international leaped to guide the ball past Mark Flekken with an outstretched foot, soon doubling the lead for his side with a tap-in after the Brentford goalkeeper floundered at a ball from Savinho’s shot.

This is where Manchester City should have seen out the game with a comfortable lead, but the hosts – who had caused trouble throughout – were not ready to give up. A few minutes after conceding a second, Brentford broke with Mads Roerslev’s finding Wissa inside the box. The centre-forward would not miss this time and pulled back a goal.

The visitors struggled to build momentum while Brentford relentlessly worked to find a second. They would be rewarded for their continued pressure, as Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross from the right met Christian Nørgaard, who beat Manuel Akanji in the air and headed the ball just past Stefan Ortega to salvage a point.

Manchester City were punished for coasting towards the end, especially with Thomas Frank’s side adamant in pursuit of points. If not for Nathan Ake’s late goal-line clearance, the Sky Blues may have lost all three.

With all hopes of competing in the title race disappearing, Manchester City will now look to make amends when they face Ipswich in their next Premier League fixture. Before that, here are Five Things We Learned from a fateful draw against Brentford in midweek action!

Manchester City’s defence poses the same puzzles

Like Schrödinger’s cat, Manchester City’s defence exists in a state of uncertainty. Until they face a truly formidable opponent, we cannot definitively say whether they are truly strong or if their recent successes have masked underlying weaknesses.

Unlike Schorindger’s cat, the decay in defence is apparent from the half-way line. Opponents sense the weakened confidence and nervy structure, which are excellent motivation against a visibly nervous backline.

Brentford created excellent chances but could not make them count. This exposed gaps in the defensive line, which had Matheus Nunes at right-back. Bernardo Silva often dropped deep to help. Other than that, it was a typical scene. Josko Gvardiol lost his footing a few times while tracking back but made a crucial block inside the box.

In addition to making a game-saving goal-line clearance, Nathan Ake did well with his defensive duties and stepped up to carry the ball forward. Manuel Akanji took time to settle but was caught off-guard during the second goal.

The defence is far from woeful, but those exhausted at the back tend to sit off towards the end of the match. A collapsing midfield doesn’t help their case. Thus, unless City plans to bring in fresh legs, more of its leads will end with a draw or a loss against teams willing to take risks.

Kevin De Bruyne in the spotlight

One of the many things City has missed this season is Kevin de Bruyne’s brilliance on the pitch. The Belgian’s return from injury added an instant spark to attack, but his performance against Brentford showed how valuable he is in boosting chances in front of the goal.

De Bruyne frequently won the ball in the midfield to stop dangerous counters and continually found his way past a Brentford defence with precise through balls. At one point, he bailed out the defenders when they became frantic while playing out from the back and set up a counterattack in the same play.

His free-kick and shots on target were uncharacteristically inaccurate, preventing his performance from being categorised as masterful. Yet, his prowess at full display was an important reminder of his creativity, which the Sky Blues have struggled to develop in his absence.

Phil Foden gets his brace

Phil Foden hasn’t had a great season but still has a few crucial goals. The City star bagged a brace against Brentford, showcasing his brilliance. And that is perhaps the biggest issue with the England International this season. It is fair to say that he has been entirely off his game.

Foden struggled to make an impact without the ball. His performance would have been massively scrutinised if he hadn’t scored the goals, ultimately becoming the most critical factor in evaluating his game against Brentford. The good news is that he seems to be gaining confidence with each game and, hopefully, is closer to finding his mojo than what appears.

The *almost* factor

City has shown significant improvement in attack over the past month. However, forwards are still confident in their rapport with each other. There were several moments against Brentford when the Blues played free-flowing football with persistent build-up and familiar ease. Part of the reason is that key players lack balance in their performance.

Savinho made excellent runs throughout and worked wonderfully with Kevin De Bruyne but failed to produce in the final third. The Brazilian was unlucky to see his best chance of the game notably denied by the post.

Foden, as explained earlier, could not do much in the build-up but made his actions count when it mattered. Erling Haaland also saw his miscalculated attempts at goal end with saves, but he did well to win the ball and create chances. That elevated the Norwegian’s performance despite him not scoring a goal, but was it enough? Bernardo Silva ran miles but offered nearly nothing in the attack.

City have grown comfortable in taking their chances in front of goal. But with defensive liabilities at the back, those playing up-front must scale the number of chances created. Almost all attacks culminate in one move of drawing the defenders out wide before crossing the ball.

This strategy fails to keep up with a disciplined defence, especially when there are no sporadic attempts to break from the middle. Better chemistry between the attacking players could induce more courage to pursue bold moves inside the box. That said, they are potentially being held back by the vulnerability of those right behind them.

Pep Guardiola’s call on midfield

It’s no secret that the Catalan manager loves his midfielders and often depends on them to control possession. However, this has been one of the most vulnerable aspects of City’s game this season, especially in the defensive midfield role. The Sky Blues tend to lose the ball in midfield too often, leaving a struggling back our susceptible to counterattacks.

Mateo Kovacic has shown impressive speed with the ball moving forward. But he has curtailed that in the past two games and is probably instructed to hold the ball. He made a handful of essential tackles, which, albeit risky, stopped Brentford from finding a rhythm. Ilkay Gundogan replaced him, and his lack of pace played to the hosts’ advantage.

Although he wasn’t directly responsible for the goals, Gundogan’s introduction late in the game certainly didn’t help the cause. It didn’t happen for the first time and is likely to be the case unless either player finds a miraculous form without Rodri on this side.

However, that again begs questions on Guardiola’s choice of substitutions and whether the Sky Blues can genuinely afford to take their foot off the peddle in the game’s dying minutes when their entire midfield can be overrun by any side patient enough to string a few passes together.