Martin Keown has admitted he is worried that teams are following a constant pattern when facing Manchester City.
So far this season, it has seemed like opposition sides and managers are determined to find ways to frustrate City.
Erling Haaland has also revealed that defenders are more “focused” on him this campaign as they aim to keep him quiet during games.
Naturally as well, as any club would attempt to get a result against the treble-winners.
To have been a part of a team that even stopped this City side from getting a win would be prideworthy.
In addition, all eyes tend to be on whether such teams can discover ways to trouble Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut.
Keown shares worry about teams doing one thing against City
In the Premier League, that has the quality of teams, players and managers it has, for that to be a possibility is higher than in any other division.
While Manchester City are favourites to win the league this season, plenty of teams have given them a go.
One way of doing that has been by sitting back, soaking pressure and not allowing City to carve chances out at will; a tactic that frustrates any top team, including them.
The other method that has been used in this campaign and in the past is by taking the game to the Sky Blues.
Chelsea have done that every time they have faced City this season and two out of three times, they have earned well-deserved draws.
Liverpool can attest to doing the same at Anfield during the 1-1 draw against the Premier League champions this term.
However, Martin Keown is worried about seeing a pattern of teams rolling over when they play against Manchester City.
“Do you know back in the day, Manchester United and we experienced this in competition with them, such was the aura that surrounded United and City have that now, that you worry looking at the other games. Obviously, Arsenal have got big games but you worry do teams roll over a little bit?”, he said on BBC’s Match of the Day.
“People swapping shirts in the tunnel, people asking for Dennis’ [Bergkamp] shirt, [Thierry] Henry’s shirt.”
Keown continued, “Because of the aura that they have. We’re doing it as well, we talk about [Phil] Foden, we talk about [Kevin] De Bruyne in glowing terms, teams have got to play against those players every weekend. It’s always a little more difficult.”
“They’re not talking about Arsenal in quite the same way, nor should they because they haven’t really won anything yet. It’s quite phenomenal what City are doing and it can wipe out your opponent before you even take to the pitch. This is the bit I’m talking about.”
Reductive to make such claims about Manchester City
In our view, the claim from Martin Keown about Manchester City is quite reductive.
There is nothing to suggest that teams roll over when they play City.
In fact, they often do the opposite and try their best to stay in games or even beat the team from the blue side of Manchester.
However, that is easier said than done against Manchester City, who are a brilliant side and their base level is arguably superior to any team in the world.
An element of City potentially beating teams in the tunnel might exists but even so, it would also be out of order to suggest that opposition players and managers do not try their level best to get a result against the English giants.
Their entire week’s preparation leading up to such games must be understandably more detailed than before other matches.
