Habits are only truly noticeable when they are broken and at Manchester City, that goes for winning football matches. They’ve forgotten the feeling. It’s suddenly vanished. They set a record down in Brighton but, for once, not one you’d want: Pep Guardiola lost four on the spin for the first time ever.
Even before City had somehow managed that, other changing habits were presenting intrigue and a glimpse into the mind of perhaps the greatest to have coached. A window into the melancholy.
A creature who indulges in routine more than most, Guardiola definitely has his comforts. Things like the lucky jumpers, natty or knitted and stuck with regardless during those endless winning runs for which his time in England will be remembered.
Or the red wine afterwards. Or the time spent sat in his dugout an hour before the bedlam begins, often vacantly staring straight ahead. That’s the really big one, the constant. Zoning out, clearing his mind. Maybe thinking about any final words.
For eight-and-a-half years Guardiola has done that. Almost always the end seat in the technical area. Left alone, just him and his thoughts. It’s the way it always was, always the way it’s been.
Pep Guardiola has suffered four consecutive defeats for the first time in his coaching career
A sensational second-half display from Brighton clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory at the Amex
A Joao Pedro finish from close range brought Brighton level after some chaos in the box
So any deviation is noteworthy and when he bounced off Brighton’s padded chair and made his way towards the grass, something felt a little bit different. Right on the touchline, he stood next to his closest ally at the club in what was an animated exchange of views.
They waved arms, they smirked, they debated. Eventually he would retain a gaze on the squad warming up, which was also highly irregular. Was he watching for reactions? A tempo? Body language? Having the main guy standing over there will not have bypassed eyes of those in the rondos. Maybe just worth trying anything at the moment.
Unusual but then these are unusual times at City. Guardiola has become increasingly terse in public, sending vague messages to his senior players about working through pain and then sarcastically taking aim at Lee Carsley for England’s handling of Jack Grealish.
Grealish wasn’t here, deemed unfit. But is going on international duty, at least to say hello at St George’s Park. Go figure. Five others weren’t about either and two on the bench – unfit Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake – purely made up the numbers.
Teenager Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was at centre half, with Kyle Walker’s head seemingly elsewhere in a spell after half time when Brighton’s press and mastering of space outwitted the champions via Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley.
Afterwards, Guardiola was warning that this slump isn’t like previous years because of the injury list. In effect telling fans not to expect a huge annual upturn when matches are normally lost at this juncture. Tottenham, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest up next.
Although he also maintains that they are playing well which, to be fair, they are – in parts. That’s the problem. Parts. The rest? Way short. City were great for half an hour. Average in the middle third. Defensively shot in the last 30 minutes. The two-week break is a true blessing for them now, with Guardiola talking in terms of ‘surviving’.
The latter stages were all about Brighton and Fabian Hurzeler’s use of substitutes; before that, City had some encouraging dare in midfield. Less safe, a willingness to show Brighton the ball a touch longer. Come and get it; more cat and mouse. It’s higher risk but once the mouse is free it’ll find the tiniest crack a shut door to squeeze through.
Erling Haaland gave City a lead in the first-half with a trademark run which broke the lines
Matt O’Riley produced the most composed of finishes to seal a spectacular Seagulls victory
Yasin Ayari was too loose on just the single occasion and for Mateo Kovacic, that was enough. Kovacic nipped in to intercept, purposefully progressing through wide open space and locating that little alley of light between central defenders.
Erling Haaland had enough to work with, charging across Jan Paul van Hecke to create an angle after 25 dominant minutes. Bart Verbruggen slowed the shot’s journey towards goal but could not stop Haaland advancing beyond him to bundle in.
Savinho wasted two favourable positions to pick a man out from wide, then failing to slide beyond Verbruggen when slipped clear by Kovacic. Immediately following his opener, Haaland was heading over at the near post from a corner and rattling a clean right-footed shot onto the post via Brighton’s goalkeeper.
If there was any debate as to whether City should have been well clear at Sporting on Tuesday night, before the alarming capitulation, then there were none this time.
Brighton, unbeaten at home in the Premier League, were quickly forced into reverting to a back five. Hurzeler had hit upon something when altering because, once Brighton acclimatised to the idea, they began damaging their visitors in a way that had been expected heading into a booby trap of a fixture for Guardiola.
Hurzeler was saying that he doesn’t want them to be recognised as a smaller club punching up anymore and to do that, performances like this will help. His message at the break was more patience, ‘to have more self-belief, to have more courage,’ and they listened.
O’Riley’s winner lifted Brighton in the Premier League top four after their late turnaround
Guardiola’s frustration had often been evident as Man City failed to snap their losing run
Ederson smothered Kaoru Mitoma when clear and stopped Jack Hinshelwood’s free header. Brighton continued to creep. Pedro raced past a sleeping Walker only to skew wide. Walker’s demise was transmitting to others and Brighton, sensing that one might turn into two if they could equalise, were on it as City wobbled.
Parity came with 12 minutes remaining, a scramble – the ball stuck under feet in a state of defensive panic – leading to Pedro taking ownership and stabbing past a helpless Ederson.
Like in Portugal, a fragility and nervousness consumed City. Panic, a lack of assured thinkers. Pedro dropped into space just outside the box, seeing fellow substitute O’Riley galloping forward unchecked and Ederson was soon fishing that from his net. Guardiola’s eyes widened as he headed for the solace of that end seat in the away dugout. Old habits.
