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da bet sport： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
Despite coming up against a wounded Norwich side, Manchester City suffered a shock 3-2 defeat at Carrow Road on Saturday.
Snapshot
Having won the league last season, City had made an impressive start to the current campaign. Pep Guardiola’s side headed into Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Canaries having amassed a total of 10 points from a possible 12.
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The beginning of the Champions League group stages this week may have given the City boss something extra to think about, and it undoubtedly played a part in the decision to drop star man Kevin De Bruyne to the bench.
In the end, it back-fired spectacularly on the reigning champions, with the Belgian’s impressive second half cameo unable to prevent the Citizens from falling to a defeat.
Off the bench
Speaking after the game, Guardiola admitted he left De Bruyne on the bench with a view to the fixtures coming up. That in itself speaks of a reasoning steeped in complacency. Surely the biggest game is always the next one? Could the Belgium international not have started the match against Norwich, given City a two or three-goal lead, and then be subbed off?
Instead, Guardiola brought De Bruyne on in the 56th minute when the Etihad side were already 3-1 down. The 28-year-old’s contribution after he came on underlines how much of a gaffe it was to leave him out.
The Belgian made three key passes, a total only bettered by Raheem Sterling, and put a game-high 13 crosses into the box. Sadly for City, the midfield maestro was simply given too much to do and not enough time to do it in.
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After a campaign in which things were so neck-and-neck between the top two last season, it truly is baffling to see Guardiola take such a huge risk in the Premier League. Already, City find themselves five points behind table-toppers Liverpool.
The club’s Champions League group looks relatively straight-forward with no heavy hitters, and the Carabao Cup is surely at the bottom of the pile when it comes to setting priorities.
So for the City boss to make such a huge gamble is all the more perplexing, and it shows that despite his total mastery of the league over the last two seasons, he still hasn’t learned Premier League lesson 101 – anybody can beat anybody.