- Man City unable to defeat Bournemouth
- Premier League title goes to Arsenal
- Nothing left to play for this season
Manchester City failed to beat Bournemouth on Tuesday night, and trying to find positives from the performance has not been easy.
Here are five observations we have made from the game which saw Arsenal become Premier League champions.
Man City ran out of steam
City’s performances in recent weeks have been a mixed bag. Some have been really good, while there have been clear signs of fatigue in others.
The Citizens have undergone such a busy period, and Pep Guardiola has been trying to balance multiple competitions.
They got the job done at the weekend in the FA Cup despite looking a bit sluggish, but it was not to be on Tuesday night.
No one was able to come up with that special moment, and the whole display was just lacking the kind of energy required in a title-deciding game.
Savinho played well off the bench
Whenever Savinho is subbed on, many fans will take to social media to share their disdain at the decision.
However, he was definitely the best of Man City’s four second half subs, completing some dribbles and playing progressive passes to put his team on the frontfoot.
In addition to this, Savinho won all five of his ground duels and won three free kicks. It would actually have been good to see him given a little longer on the pitch.
Erling Haaland is inevitable
It is a shame Erling Haaland is going another season without picking up a Premier League winners medal, because his performances have warranted one.
The striker tends to remain quiet in a lot of games, then out of nowhere he delivers a moment which changes everything.
Haaland created a chance which Nico O’Reilly should really have put away, and he came up with the goal which gave City one final minute to try and get the win.
Pep Guardiola has lost faith in Rayan Cherki
Only a few months ago, it felt like Guardiola was not Rayan Cherki’s biggest fan, due to the midfielder’s lack of pace and limited defensive contributions.
However, the 22-year-old quickly became one of City’s most prized assets, and the player they looked at to create chances out of nothing.
Yet the Frenchman has now been benched for three consecutive matches, which included the FA Cup final.
Cherki is either injured, completely burnt out, or he has fallen out of favour with Guardiola. In fairness, it could be that he is struggling with fatigue.
This has been Cherki’s first season in the Premier League and he started a string of matches in April and early May.
Guardiola’s body language tells its own story
According to Guardiola, he will make a decision on whether to leave Man City after a conversation with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
However, he had the look of a man who knows his time at the Sky Blues is just days away from coming to an end.
While Man City’s players showed their appreciation to the travelling supporters, Guardiola quietly slipped away and headed down the tunnel.
All will be revealed soon enough, but it looks like Guardiola’s mind is already made up. City’s match at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday will be his last.
