Manchester City have beaten Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals, but there were a lot of issues with the team’s performance which need to be assessed.
Let’s take a look at five things we observed about the match.
The FA Cup is secondary to Pep Guardiola
Man City have had a busy week, so it is understandable that Guardiola switched things up on Saturday evening.
Still, Southampton are probably just as good a team as Burnley this season, if not better. Therefore, what Guardiola could have done is play half his first-team in each game.
In fairness, Rayan Cherki and the full-backs all started. However, it is clear from the line-ups today and last Wednesday that the Premier League is viewed as a considerably more important competition.
Matheus Nunes survived an injury scare
Pep Guardiola made plenty of changes after Wednesday’s victory over Burnley, but Matheus Nunes remained in the starting line-up.
The right-back did not make the best start against Southampton, as his side of defence was actively targeted by Southampton.
Then towards the end of the first half, Nunes went down and it looked like he might have to leave the pitch.
Thankfully, the 27-year-old got up and appeared to be fine. Guardiola’s right back options are very limited, so this would have been a big blow.
City needed to play with more pace
Man City have looked dangerous in recent weeks when they have moved the ball quickly and caught teams out with quick passes.
However, everyone was too slow on the ball and pretty static off it as well, meaning it was too easy for Southampton to predict what was coming.
City did make an effort to raise the tempo as the second half progressed and their relentless pressure eventually played off.
Omar Marmoush failed to seize his opportunity
Despite scoring some important goals, Marmoush has often found himself on the Manchester City bench this season.
Nevertheless, he was given the nod against Southampton – a chance he wasted with missed opportunities. On top of this, Marmoush was one of Man City’s biggest culprits for slowing down the attack.
The centre forward was eventually substituted around the 70-minute mark, recording two blocked shots, two off target and only one which challenged Daniel Peretz.
Man City cannot always rely on Rayan Cherki
Recent weeks have seen praise heaped on Cherki and rightly so, considering his brilliant individual performances.
Today, however, the France international struggled to inspire his team, as they took their time finding a winner.
Cherki is an excellent player, but he was unable to come up with a moment of magic despite starting the match. This ultimately shows that while he is a top talent, City cannot rely solely on the 22-year-old.
