Manchester City failed to make up ground on Premier League leaders Arsenal as they were frustrated by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
In one of the more entertaining 0-0 draws you could hope to see,
Brian Brobbey, Savinho, Josko Gvardiol and Trey Hulme all had big chances to win it for their side throughout the game, but neither side could grab a winner.
City will be disappointed to have lost Savinho and potentially Nico Gonzalez, who was replaced at half time after going down in the first half, to injury in the game, though will be boosted by the return of Rodri and Jeremy Doku in the second half.
Their eight game winning run is over but City will face managerless Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in an attempt to restart their winning streak, whilst Sunderland travel to face Tottenham Hotspur.
Here are three things we learned from the stalemate in the North East:
Rodri is the best defensive midfielder in the world
When Nico went down in the first half holding his calf, it looked like Rodri was going to have to play the majority of the game in one of the toughest fixtures of City’s league campaign on his return from injury.
As it was, he only had to play the second half as Nico was able to push through until half time, and hopefully his substitution was precautionary regarding the knock and doesn’t amount to anything more significant than that.
But in the 45 minutes he played, the 2024 Ballon D’or winner proved that his technicality and intelligence are a level above even Nico, who has had an exceptional start to the season.
Rodri read the game well, showed for the ball often and helped City pin Sunderland back into their own box towards the end of the game.
He should’ve got an assist when he floated a beautiful ball into the box for Gvardiol, who headed straight at goalkeeper Robin Roefs – though I think it could’ve been a penalty as contact from Hulme put the Croatian defender off his effort.
City can’t afford to rush him back in, and if Nico is set to miss out in the next few matches he won’t be able to start and certainly can’t play 90 minutes across the busy period whilst he still severely lacks match sharpness.
Though the temptation remains for Pep Guardiola – he has the best defensive midfielder in the world at his disposal and he makes such a difference to the team when he’s performing well.
It’s going to be a tough few weeks for City
With Savinho and Nico on the sidelines and Doku and Rodri unlikely to be able to start City’s next match at the very least, it could be a tiring few weeks coming up for a few of the main starters.
Nico O’Reilly was subbed on 57 minutes yesterday and didn’t play particularly well, nor did he play that great against Nottingham Forest. His regular backup Rayan Ait-Nouri is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria, so O’Reilly is starting every single game, which seems to be taking its toll on his fitness.
Up front, City are set to be boosted by the arrival of Antoine Semenyo in the next few days, but for now they’re very short.
Savinho and Oscar Bobb are injured, Omar Marmoush is also at AFCON and Doku has just recovered from injury.
Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki aren’t wide forwards, and don’t really excel in those areas unless given full freedom to roam inside, and Erling Haaland’s goals are drying up due to his own fatigue and having less of a supporting cast around him.
City are stretched numerically at the moment with injuries and tiredness, and it could be a difficult few weeks before players return to bolster the squad again.
Ake shouldn’t leave in January
When Nathan Ake sat down holding his leg early on in the first half, you couldn’t help but feel it was the end for him. Not just for the night, but in a City shirt.
The World Cup takes place in the USA, Canada and Mexico in the summer and Ake will be hoping to represent the Netherlands in what could be his last international tournament as a fairly injury prone 30-year-old.
Remarkably though, Ake got up after physio treatment and played the rest of the game, where he contributed to an excellent defensive performance overall.
Rumours are that Crystal Palace wanted to take Ake on loan until the end of the season, with City known to be admirers of Eagles captain Marc Guehi, who is out of contract in June.
But it would be foolish to let Ake go right now when he can offer high quality cover at centre back and left back, until the summer where City can replace him properly with Guehi or another target or keep him at the club depending on how the rest of the season goes.
