Manchester City shows signs of life but manages to dig a deeper hole after draw against Everton

Manchester City went back to what works, created chances to win in style and took a step in the right direction. Still, it was not enough to end Pep Guardiola’s agony in the 1-1 draw against Everton at home. One win in 13, the title race is now irrelevant, a fight to reach the Champions League seems inevitable – City are stuck in the same old story.

Perhaps when they finally pull themselves out of their tailspin, this game will take on a different context. This could be the moment when City’s performances went from being completely inadequate to a vaguely reasonable representation of the talent that was still available to Guardiola. On Boxing Day, the champions began to do some of the things they really needed to do months ago: the shots were coming (although not to the guy who was supposed to receive them), the shape seemed a little more identifiable from City, the attacker Las Responsibilities were shared more equally than that time they kept passing the ball to Jack Grealish.

Likewise, no one would mistake this team for a serious member of Europe’s elite, let alone a true City team. An Iliman Ndiaye stunner could have canceled out Bernardo Silva’s forced opener, but Everton had their chances on the counter-attack. The defense is not what it was. Maybe it never will be until Rodri returns. It would certainly help if Ruben Dias and a proper Kyle Walker were present.

At least the attack was improving. After getting stuck in midfield at Villa Park on Saturday, Pep Guardiola shuffled his backpack. Maybe we’re just at the point in this crisis where something has to change every game because nothing is really working right now. However, what he fell into could be something of the model for the coming weeks.

Two wingers, two natural attacking midfielders, a lot of pressure on the holding midfielder (Mateo Kovacic). You’ve seen this city before. You’ve also seen it work better than this, but there were flashes of that team you knew. None were more evident than those involving Bernardo Silva, back to something resembling his prime. Everyone has their favorite version of Silva, for this writer he cannot be beaten on the left side of midfield, dodging in and out of his winger, a threat who can use guile rather than pace to get past his man.

It was from there that City got their first goal. Jeremy Doku’s drive into the field caught the attention of James Tarkowski. At the moment when the center back looks at the winger’s run, Silva stands between him and the other center back. Jarrad Branthwaite has to dive to stop the cross shot coming towards Savinho at the far post and is unlucky that when the ball hits him he leans towards the goal, but this is the kind of misfortune that City tend to impose on their opponents.

The man who took Silva’s place on the right flank was no less effective. This was the Savinho of late summer, drawing multiple defenders towards him and outrunning them to get into prime positions. Perhaps if in any of them he had played another pass instead of releasing one of his seven shots, City would have come out better. But how comforting must it be for Guardiola to see a player dressed in sky blue create shots for himself?

However, even those effective adjustments had their drawbacks. As Silva gravitated more towards the left flank, Doku felt forced to move further into the field. With no room to accelerate, he was a non-factor at best in this game, as was his replacement Kevin De Bruyne. The same could be said of Phil Foden. His first goal of the season hasn’t solved an unstable shooting radar; If anything, his season has now been defined by the profligacy that saw a good lead-up move and a clever move from Erling Haaland rolling through his boots.

Then there is Haaland himself. I may not be enamored with his broader performances this season, but it’s hard to know what else he can do. The No. 9 is noticeably more involved in the build-up, acting more as a reference point than someone who concludes that he is with City at his best. For the third time in five Premier League games, Haaland finished with as many chances created as shots. That’s really not how City are supposed to operate.

The best finisher in the game needs more than two shots, even if one of them is a penalty. Perhaps Haaland at his swaggering best will ignore Jordan Pickford’s pre-penalty antics. City at their best ensure Haaland can get away with missing his penalty.

If they don’t, they are always vulnerable to something. As is usual with Sean Dyche, Everton invariably committed one less to any counter-attack than the move might have necessitated. Still, they managed to create some better chances than they did at Arsenal, perhaps even than at home against Chelsea. Ndiaye’s brilliant volley may have been the one that did the trick, but there were other occasions when a black shirt had time in the box to assess its options in the penalty area, with its rival full-backs miles away. A cooler head from Jack Harrison at the death and the points went to Everton.

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