Manchester City 3 - 0 West Brom: Blues benefit from an education in Barcelona

Manchester City certainly paid close attention to the footballing education they received in Catalonia on Wednesday night. 


(David Silva taps in City's third - image via Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Their 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion exhibited the creativity, acceleration and wastefulness in front of goal that characterised Barcelona's performance against the Blues in mid-week, but this time, it was City's turn to entertain.

The Blues were handed a welcome advantage inside two minutes when referee Neil Swarbrick sent off Gareth McAuley for a last-man challenge on Wilfried Bony, although Craig Dawson was in fact the real culprit of the illegal challenge. The FA have received fierce criticism for the weak standard of refereeing this term and Swarbrick's decision renders their list of embarrassments even longer. 

The Baggies were able to frustrate their hosts with typical Pulis tenacity inside the first 20 minutes until City wrestled their way out of the shackles Lionel Messi forced them into three days ago. The Argentine single-handedly flung Manchester City out of the Champions League with an extraordinary display of vision and skill that night, but it was David Silva's turn to enchant on Saturday afternoon. The ubiquitous Spaniard registered 10 shots on goal, created 11 chances, completed 89% of his passes and netted his side's third in a hypnotising performance. 


(David Silva picked up the Man of the Match award for a terrific display on Saturday afternoon - image via Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The irresistible attacking football that propelled City to the title last term made a pleasant return. Wilfried Bony's strength provided the Blues with a dimension they have been lacking since Álvaro Negredo's departure and his emphatic turn and finish into the top corner to open the scoring would have been worthy of the Valencia striker's approval. Bony launched seven shots on goal, created three chances and won 100% of his tackles to further solidify his reputation among City fans. 

It was a comprehensive victory for Manuel Pellegrini's side despite converting just 7% of their 46 attempts. There was an air of desperation in Sergio Agüero's game. Having missed a penalty at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night, his eagerness to score did not surprise, but the 26-year-old was unable to find the back of the net with any of his nine shots. The Argentine's work rate, agility and four completed take ons, however, proved why he is considered among the world's best strikers. 


(Sergio Agüero had 9 shots on goal, but was unable to find the back of the net - image via Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The Blues still have plenty to play for. Pride is on the line for Manuel Pellegrini's men in these last eight games, and when Fernando scores the club's 1000th Premier League goal, it's clear that anything can happen between now and the end of the season.  

Burnley 1 - 0 Manchester City: No fight, no passion and no ambition; the sad thing is that it was expected.

No fight, no passion, and no ambition. Manchester City gift wrapped the Premier League title and sent it toward Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening after a 1-0 defeat to 19th place Burnley. 


(George Boyd celebrates his winner - image via Alex Livesy/Getty Images)

Numerically, City still have an outside chance of retaining the title, but their deplorable lack of desire and guidance is rendering that task all but impossible. On a day where Wilfried Zaha sacrificed his rib cage to ensure Crystal Palace took one step closer to safety and Arsenal produced some of their finest football all season to all but secure Champions League football for next term, Manchester City strolled off the Turf Moor pitch and into the comforting arms of another obscene weekly pay-check. 

But forget the finances. Money can buy class, but it cannot guarantee dedication. 

Manuel Pellegrini spoke of his desire to renew his contract at the Etihad Stadium before the game. Perhaps his comments were a little optimistic. Burnley manager Sean Dyche has been lauded for his aggression and resilience since gracing the league with his presence for the first time last August; on Saturday afternoon, his side played for him - they fought for survival in England's top division. Whilst City's Chilean boss may be charming, he is a lifeless spectator on the sidelines and that is definitely not a likable characteristic. 


(Manuel Pellegrini cuts a lifeless figure in the dugout - image via Alex Livesy/Getty Images)

Dyche expertly set his team up to combat the league champion's creativity whilst Pellegrini threw eleven great players together in a 4-4-2 formation that has been both predictable and ineffective all season. 

What's even more dispiriting was the inevitability of the result. I expected us to be flat, I expected us to struggle to break Burnley down and I expected us to be set up in a formation that nullifies the respective abilities of some of our best players. 

The system forces David Silva out wide into a position where he is largely unproductive. In a central position just behind the striker, he is often unplayable and supplies City with their creativity. It's incredibly obvious, yet Pellegrini preferred to ignore the failings of his formation and substitute our best player with a man who has failed to make our squad for the last three weeks. It's clueless tactics from a manager who won two trophies in his first season last term. 


(David Silva was restricted by Pellegrini's tactics on Saturday evening - image via Getty Images)

I can't deny the fantastic job Manuel Pellegrini has done at the club. He's stabilised a volatile dressing room and he got us playing the best football we've ever played last season, but this term, he is proving to be too ignorant and too naive. 

I can accept finishing second place in the league and crashing out of the Champions League to Barcelona. I don't demand us to win everything every season. However, what I cannot accept is directionless football every single week and a blatant refusal to change it. 

Manuel Pellegrini's poor transfer record suggests he is not the man to take Manchester City forward

"The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result."


(Dead man walking? - image via Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

After watching his side narrowly avoid complete and utter numerical humiliation against Barcelona last week, one would have expected Manuel Pellegrini to reexamine his tactical approach against a team who are yet to lose in the Premier League this year. He didn't, and now the 61-year-old, brought in to enforce a 'holistic' approach at the club in the summer of 2013, is facing the hostility of the fans and the wrath of an unforgiving boardroom. 

Be it naivety or just plain ignorance, Pellegrini's insistence on a 4-4-2 formation is driving both his job and his team's season into the ground. 

Speaking before a 2-1 loss against Barcelona last Tuesday, he claimed to have learned from last season's capitulation. His decision to proceed with a central-midfield pairing of Fernando, arguably his worst player, and James Milner, who had only just returned from injury, against a team famed for their dominance in possession proved he hadn't learned a thing. Luis Enrique's side enjoyed a healthy 60% of possession that night and only a terrific performance from Joe Hart prevented City from total embarrassment.


(Pellegrini had his goalkeeper to thank for a kind scoreline last Wednesday - image via Alex Livesy/Getty Images) 

The Englishman could do nothing to save his manager's blushes on Sunday afternoon, though. Extraordinary strikes from Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho earned Liverpool a deserved three points in their battle for Champions League football - a battle Manchester City are rapidly falling into. 

City could not match Liverpool's enthusiasm, effort, nor their determination in the 2-1 loss, and although the players must shoulder a significant proportion of the blame for that, their manager set them up for failure. 

Edin Džeko was on the scoresheet again for the Blues, but contrary to popular belief, the Bosnian did little else. By no means was he to blame for the miserable performance, but his place in the team should have been filled by another midfielder who could have helped to combat Liverpool's energy.

(Philippe Coutinho epitomised the energy of Brendan Rodgers' young Liverpool side - image via Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

And energy has been one of many problems for Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester City this term. The Chilean was praised for the irresistible attacking football he brought to the club in his first season, but City now lack that vivacity. It's unsurprising when you consider that the average age of the squad is 29 - the oldest in the league.

The Premier League champions are due a major overhaul and Pellegrini has shown that he is incapable of effectively replacing the team's more influential stars. He must come to terms with the fact that he is working with a squad expertly pieced together by Roberto Mancini and that his own additions have largely failed to improve the side. 

Eliaquim Mangala, Jesus Navas, Stevan Jovetić, Fernando, Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna - players the club have spent almost £100m on - have done little to help City progress from the Mancini era in which the club acquired the names fans will tell their grandchildren about in years to come. Fernandinho, Martin Demichelis and Frank Lampard mark Pellegrini's most successful imports, but with an average of 33, all three will need replacing in the near future. 

(Fernando has failed to impress since joining the Blues in the summer - image via Alex Livesy/Getty Images)

Is Manuel Pellegrini the man to direct a new era at the club? His transfer record suggests not. 

The man nicknamed 'The Engineer' still has time to manoeuvre his way out of trouble, but at present, his team stand little chance of progressing in Europe and wrestling back a potential 8-point-gap at the top of the Premier League table. Appetising league fixtures against Leicester City, Burnley, West Brom and Crystal Palace await the Blues, but City's vulnerable back line is already being sniffed out by the respective strikers of those clubs fighting for their lives at the pit of the table. 

City's 2014/2015 season is petering out much like Roberto Mancini's fourth year at the helm did. Positives lie in the fact that the club have a wealth of promising talent to welcome back in the summer - Marcos Lopes, Jason Denayer and Karim Rekik have all impressed on their respective loan spells at Lille, Celtic and PSV Eindhoven, but if a top European manager makes himself available in three months time, Manuel Pellegrini will not be the man working with those youngsters.