After losing to Tottenham in the League Cup, Pep Guardiola seemed to feel quite "comfortable" because Man City had withdrawn from an unimportant arena. At this time, The Citizens' squad was too devastated when in addition to Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne, many other stars were injured.
"Without Rodri, Man City's ability to block was greatly reduced. In the match this morning, Sporting did not have much possession of the ball but counterattacked very sharply. This caused Man City players to fall into a state of confusion, and they were very bad at counterattacking.
With the locomotive Viktor Gyokeres, when Sporting's attack accelerated, Man City's defense was always in a state of alarm. In a day when Rodri was lost, De Bruyne's inspiration was lost, and Haaland missed a penalty, all the weaknesses of the away team were exposed" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.
Before the match against Sporting, Pep Guardiola complained about the pressure his team was under. The Spanish strategist shared that Man City was always under pressure to win 5-0 in every match and win the treble every season. With the current personnel situation, it is clear that the pressure on the reigning Premier League champions is too great.
"We always say that when we are at the top, we always have to endure strong winds. Teams like Man City or Real Madrid, when they are at the top, facing challenges is normal.
For Man City, winning the English championship for 4 consecutive years has made many opponents and neutral teams feel very uncomfortable, not wanting that to happen again. And when stepping into the European arena, they face completely different challenges compared to what is usually seen in the Premier League.
English football is often characterized by the "tossing and catching" style, but in the continental arena, they have no reason to be forced to play like that. Especially the Portuguese representatives, typically Jose Mourinho, are very good at this.
Today was a successful day for Sporting as they knew how to handle each situation based on the game situation. Meanwhile, Man City was considered the favorite team so they could not change their playing style. As I analyzed yesterday, when having to play on Sporting's field, a draw was not bad for Man City but in the end, they even lost miserably" - Commentator Quang Huy commented.
In Sporting's resounding victory, in addition to the much-anticipated captain Ruben Amorim, striker Viktor Gyokeres also shone with a hat-trick. The destruction of City is the perfect stepping stone for Amorim to go to the Premier League to take up a position at Man City. Meanwhile, Gyokeres will sooner or later have a bigger destination.
"After the match, many Man City fans joked that Pep Guardiola let Ruben Amorim shine so brightly to trick Man United. It was true, it was just a joke because Amorim had proven his class.
Since Amorim was at Sporting Braga, Sporting Lisbon had to use money to break the contract, thereby bringing this strategist back. Together with Amorim, Sporing won the Primeira Liga 2 season after nearly 2 decades without a trophy. The way Amorim uses young players is also very special. When he introduces them, any young star integrates very quickly.
With this victory over Man City, everyone can see Amorim's talent as a coach. This is the perfect debut in Europe. Amorim has come to Man United and it is very possible that Gyokeres will also leave Sporting" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.
