Man City just had a 4-1 victory over West Ham in round 20 of the Premier League, thereby sticking close to the Top 4 with only 2 points less. In the previous round, they also won 3 points away against Leicester City. The last 3 matches without losing, perhaps the revival period is returning to Pep Guardiola's team.
The opening goal of the match was determined to be an own goal by Vladimir Coufal of West Ham. However, if Savinho had not had a hammer-throwing shot on the left wing, the advantage would not have leaped towards Man City in the 10th minute.
After more than half an hour, Savinho also stirred up the left wing. The ball was poured into the penalty area as if for Erling Haaland to jump high and head the ball from the far post, doubling the gap for the home team at Etihad Stadium. It was his 14th headed goal in the Premier League, more than any other player since the Norwegian joined Manchester City in 2023.
This is a rare match in the past few months, the reigning Premier League champions have regained their dominating image. Since the injury of a series of pillars, especially Rodri, Haaland in particular and Man City in general have been disastrously relegated and seem unable to recover.
Haaland scored and Man City won, that is the formula that has helped Pep continue to dominate the past 2 years. The Norwegian striker is the perfect shield to cover up the team's shortcomings. Therefore, once he is in poor form, all of Man City's weaknesses are exposed.
"In the past, we were no longer ourselves with the strongest image in 8 years. Today, although the whole team won big, the overall performance was still not good. If the opponent was lucky, City could have been 2 goals behind" - Pep Guardiola shared.
Except for Erling Haaland's double, Savinho was Man City's remaining bright spot in this match. Since moving for 40 million Euros, the Brazilian star has been doubted a lot about his ability but is gradually proving that he is not a bad deal. In the win over Leicester in the previous round, it was Savinho who opened the scoring.
"A left-footed player who plays classically on the left wing like Savinho can help Man City's strikers a lot. The goals in the match against Leicester and against West Ham today also have many similarities.
Savinho is gradually becoming a special thing in the Man City squad. In addition to the goals, his assists are also excellent. Savinho deserves to play more" - Pep Guardiola shared.
Witnessing Savinho's rapid growth, Pep must be the happiest person. He once brought the young Brazilian star to the Etihad with the hope of becoming a new artistic breakthrough in the somewhat mechanical squad of Man City. At first, when Savinho could not meet the requirements, Pep was still very patient and gave him opportunities in secondary arenas. Now, with the team in need of a boost, the 20-year-old midfielder has risen to become a seemingly irreplaceable figure.
When in Pep Guardiola's tactical system, Savinho will have to change to adapt even more. In the past, when he had played too many positions and only now was he playing well, Savinho may have found a solution for his position.
