Man City ended a run of seven games without a win in all competitions, including six defeats, with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in midweek. It was thought that the win would help the reigning champions bounce back. However, things went back to normal on their trip to London.
If it weren't for luck, Man City would have been defeated at Selhurst Park. This result has stopped Pep Guardiola from dreaming much. The Spanish strategist has said that Man City no longer dreams of winning the championship, something they have done in 6/7 recent seasons.
Before the match, Pep had envisioned a very tough physical match. Without Rodri, all the alternatives in the central midfield area were not up to the task. In this match, Pep pulled Bernardo Silva down to play as a central midfielder with Ilkay Gundogan but both lost in the one-on-one duels with the opponent.
Pep said all of Man City's players were struggling to find their form. When he brought on Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku, Man City gradually regained control but there was no denying that the first half had been terrible.
A clear problem in the draw with Palace was the fatigue that gripped most of Pep’s players. From fatigue, to a lack of control and a lack of fouls. After 15 Premier League games this season, Man City have made 11 errors that led to direct shots from opponents.
Maxence Lacroix's goal to make it 2-1 for Palace once again proved that. Although Kyle Walker was right in front of Lacroix, he had no strength to jump up, thereby watching his opponent head the ball into the home team's net from about 4m away. Man City still controlled the ball very well, as evidenced by the rate of 80% in the first 10 minutes of the second half. However, Lacroix's goal in the 56th minute ruined everything.
Among the many negatives, Ruben Dias may be the only consolation for Pep Guardiola. The Portuguese centre-back single-handedly led the defence, keeping them scoreless in the first half after Daniel Munoz opened the scoring for Palace in the fourth minute. Without Dias, City were held to a 3-3 draw by Feyenoord after leading 3-0. Then, also without Dias, City lost 4-0 to Tottenham.
Another small positive was that Man City showed signs of gradually regaining their usual fast and decisive rhythm, with Rico Lewis equalizing the score at 2-2. It only took 3 seconds for the ball to pass from Kevin De Bruyne to Bernardo Silva and be put in position by Rico Lewis. The young English star only needed 1 touch to shoot into the net after sneaking into the penalty area.
"Football is full of mistakes. In set pieces, they were stronger than us.
Luckily, Man City still has Erling Haaland in the squad. Besides, I want to thank Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan, they have made tireless efforts in all circumstances" - Pep Guardiola shared after the match.
After the draw with Crystal Palace, next week, Man City will face Juventus in the 6th round of the UEFA Champions League qualifying round.
