On the other hand, the defense has obviously regressed. The opponent’s shots per possession increased by 27%(0.10), and the average xG was similar. The number of goals per game in Manchester City increased from 0.7 to 1.0. Whether it’s because Guardiola tried his staff to make the best use of Harland-which, among other things, led to the bench of full-back Joao Cancelo and eventually loaned it to Bayern-or because of the conscious retreat of the World Cup in terms of pressure and efforts (Manchester City players played more time in Qatar than any other club), Manchester City’s pressure was more passive and ineffective. Excellent opponents are particularly comfortable and productive for them: in eight games against the top six teams in the Premier League, Manchester City scored a goal in 13 shots (81.10 times per game), worth 11.6 xG.
Please note that Manchester City also scored 19 goals and scored 13 points in these eight games, but Manchester City did not control the situation as usual. Put some terrible luck into a close game-in a game decided by 1-2 goals, the average score per game is 0.1 (the average score of the other four teams in England is 2.1)-and we can see how Manchester City has left the door for Arsenal to break in at present. This also brought RB Leipzig back to the first leg of their last 16 Champions League (final 1-1 draw), and there is still some work to be done before they can advance next week.