Man City only got 1 point against Brighton in the match at Etihad Stadium in round 29 of the Premier League. This result prevented Pep Guardiola and his team from breaking into the Top 4. Currently, The Citizens are in 5th place with 48 points after 29 matches. They are hoping Chelsea will lose to Arsenal in the confrontation tonight so as not to extend the gap.
However, when looking down, Man City can feel the heat of this year's Top 4 race. There are up to 4 teams that can steal their 5th place with just 1 win or have good results in 2 matches, which are Newcastle, Brighton, Aston Villa and Bournemouth. If Pep Guardiola's team receive another defeat, they can lose 5th place.
Next season, the Premier League may have 5 places to play in the Champions League, but this is an uncertain 100% chance, so the goal of ending the season in the Top 4 is still the ultimate for Pep Guardiola and his team.
In the draw with Brighton, Man City's defense once again showed instability, which was the main reason for the 2 goals conceded. If they had been luckier, Brighton could have scored 1-2 more goals. Since the beginning of the season in the Premier League, the defending champion has conceded 40 goals. This is the first time Man City in Pep's era has conceded so many goals. The draw with Brighton was also the 13th match that Man City had to face at least 4 big chances to score from the opponent.
The Citizens' number 1 goalkeeper Ederson was unable to play due to a stomachache, so Stefan Ortega was the replacement. Ederson was at the brink of Man City's goal against Nottingham Forest last week. However, with the Brazilian goalkeeper absent, things are even more dangerous for The Citizens.
Ederson is someone who can withstand pressure well when the opponent narrows the distance he can pass the ball from the home field. This goalkeeper has calmness and good footwork skills to clear such situations. Ortega was not so bad as to be the main reason for the draw with Brighton, but the inability to deploy the ball from the back like Ederson caused Man City many difficulties in their operational tactics.
In Brighton's first goal from the free kick. Although Ortega was on Estupinan's side, he did not proactively fly to block or close the angle. That is one of the reasons why his class is far behind Ederson. If Ederson is absent regularly from now until the end of the season, the concern for Man City's defense is real.
"Football is like that and we have to accept that. This season, the whole team has conceded many goals, which is a very bad thing" - Pep shared after the match.
Up to now, Man City has only 2 arenas left, the Premier League and the FA Cup. These are two playgrounds where they still have big goals to achieve. The journey from now until the end of the season for Pep Guardiola and his team is not too difficult, so just be yourself, everything will be resolved.
