In a focus match of the 15th round of the Premier League that ended in the early morning of December 7th, Beijing time, the defending champion Manchester City suffered an upset 0-1 loss to Aston Villa in an away game. After four games without a win, the standings have fallen from the top. Arrived at No. 4.
In the previous three league rounds, Manchester City drew with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham 4-4, 1-1 and 3-3 respectively. After three consecutive draws, Manchester City also surrendered the top spot, and was surpassed by Arsenal and Liverpool in the rankings. This round of guest challenge against Villa, Manchester City lacked the two aces Rodri and Grealish who have accumulated yellow cards and suspended games, which undoubtedly greatly reduced Manchester City’s strength.
Sure enough, after 30 minutes of this game, Manchester City was basically suppressed by Villa. If Digne’s cross had not gone out of bounds and Dias’ goal was disallowed, Villa would have taken the lead in the first half. In the second half, although Guardiola replaced new players Nunes and Kovacic, and even gambled on rising star Bob, in the end Villa relied on Leon Bailey’s personal ability to complete the winning goal. Throughout the game, Manchester City was rarely suppressed, with only 2 shots on goal. Villa had as many as 22 shots. Manchester City lost this battle in a very embarrassing manner and had no temper.
After losing to Villa, Manchester City suffered a rare 4-game winless run (3 draws and 1 loss) and only scored 3 points. The team’s last encounter was in April 2017, and that was also Guardiola’s first time coaching Manchester City. season. Arsenal, who are already at the top of the table, are 6 points behind. Although everyone knows that Manchester City is very good at playing from the back, if they are too far away from the stable Arsenal before Christmas, if Manchester City wants to come back and defend the title again, without Gundogan and De Bruyne, it will obviously be difficult. It won’t be easier than last season.