Perhaps the biggest thing to come from Manchester City’s 4-0 defeat of Newcastle United on Saturday was that it felt like the past few months had simply never happened.
Going into the game, City had won just eight of their previous 24 matches and so many of the losses and even draws in that run have been so damaging for morale that the team very obviously bears the physical and mental scars.
They have continued to come back from setbacks with energy and passion but, as manager Pep Guardiola admitted just the day before Newcastle’s visit, “we cannot sustain it for 90 minutes”.
He spoke at length about his team’s problems in his pre-match press conference on Friday, saying he does not expect his most often-injured players to recover their best levels over what is left of this season and even remarked that he is just as worried when City have possession as when the other team do.
“I accept when the opponents have the ball, I’m going to suffer,” he said. “I accept it. But now we are suffering when we have the ball. It never happened before.”
Yet none of that was evident in Saturday’s win; or at least, when the energy level did drop after half-time, City did not suffer. They did not even concede a goal, which simply has to be considered an achievement after the past few months — they have four clean sheets since the end of October, the previous one coming six games earlier against Ipswich Town on January 19.
Guardiola had highlighted Newcastle as particularly tricky opposition. “They are stronger, they are quicker, they are faster than our players,” he said, making a point about how that had never been a problem for City in the past, given they have always had small players, the difference being that his men always used to look after the ball better than they do now.
Guardiola saw his team return to winning ways after a difficult February so far (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
It must be said that while City had plenty going for them, Newcastle were poor on the day and when their head coach, Eddie Howe, discussed this, he gave a glimpse into how City are viewed by their rivals these days.
“We were off on our duels,” Howe said afterwards. “Which becomes difficult because, for me, they are still the best in the world in their build-up.”
“Still”.
And there was another telling comment from Howe: “With the ball, they are still a very difficult team to play against.”
The implication is obvious: without the ball, it’s a different story.
But, again, there was no evidence of any of that on Saturday. For this kind of victory, City would have needed Newcastle to struggle, yes, but also for their own players to step up; for the ones who have been there years to improve and for the winter-window signings to add a new dynamic. Which is what happened.
Omar Marmoush made the most obvious impact with his 33-minute first-half hat-trick, offering both dangerous runs in behind and late arrivals into the area. The 25-year-old was earmarked by City as somebody who could make an immediate contribution to the second half of this season and, after some tentative early performances, he arrived against Newcastle.
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Then there was Nico Gonzalez, making his Premier League debut after a truncated appearance last weekend against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. Guardiola was asked what had gone so well for his side and identified the 23-year-old midfielder first of all.
“I think the presence of Nico helped us a lot, because there were 10 balls that were 50-50,” he said. “If he wins seven, you can win. If you lose seven, they will run. I have the feeling that the club bought an incredible player for the future, especially in terms of mentality.
“He reminds me of a mini Rodri. It’s a big compliment, but I have the feeling for his presence, to help us in the duels. Of course, he is miles away from Rodri, Rodri is the best, but we all have the feeling he is going to help us this season.”
Abdukodir Khusanov, who at 20 has a few rougher edges to smooth off, looked very solid, too, certainly compared to his spooked debut against Chelsea in January. “The pace from Khusanov, when they make transitions, his pace behind… that’s why we bought him,” Guardiola says. “He’s unstoppable because he’s so fast. He’s so young. Still, he’s too aggressive; always in the duels. He goes to win the duels and when you don’t win them, it’s a transition, but it’s a question of time.”
The new boys helped, but this was as much about those with some of the deepest scars making a step up, too. Ilkay Gundogan and Rico Lewis were essentially played into the ground at the end of 2024 and have been used much more sparingly since the turn of the year, yet they more than played their part here.
Another thing that went in City’s favour was Savinho’s contribution. You never quite know what to expect from the Brazilian winger, who has improved in the past two months but can still throw in a poor display. He was a livewire on Saturday, tearing into Lewis Hall at every opportunity.
James McAtee celebrates scoring City’s fourth against Newcastle (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, in Spain, Jude Bellingham was getting sent off as Real Madrid drew 1-1 at Osasuna, another setback for them ahead of Wednesday night.
Following the Spanish side’s 3-2 victory in Manchester last week, it is going to be a huge ask for City to turn things around in the second leg of that Champions League play-off, not necessarily because of the aggregate score, but because of all of their recent issues, ones that are hardly conducive to a victory in the Bernabeu.
If things were to go City’s way, like they did on Saturday — a Madrid off-night, City’s new boys making an impact, their old stagers rolling back the years — then maybe they could do something special.
Guardiola, though, is not getting too carried away, especially with doubts about whether Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake will be available after they missed the Newcastle game — Dias was not ready for 90 minutes, Ake was ill.
“Listen,” he said. “The margin to win in the Bernabeu, in that position, everybody knows. If you ask before the game, the percentage to go through, I don’t know if we have one per cent (chance), but as much as we have a chance, we will try, that’s for sure.
“This season, the reality is that we have been miles and miles away. We have been really, really poor in the performances and the results this season; not just for one game. (Here against Newcastle) we played really good, but that is not going to change opinion, the reality of the team right now. We are still not good in terms of day-by-day, being there.
“Of course, it is better to travel to Madrid with this kind of result — imagine another defeat in the last minutes! The chance is minor because the result (the 3-2 loss at home in the first leg) is not good, but as much as we have a chance, we are going to take it and we will see what happens.”
At least there is some hope.
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(Top photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
