Hoffenheim 1-2 Manchester City: 3 things we learned
By Aman Sridhar
Manchester City came from a goal down to beat Hoffenheim in the Champions League on Tuesday. Here are three things we learned from the match.
There’s a reason Julien Nagelsmann is rated so highly, and he’ll be very proud of the display of his troops on the field against the Champions League favorites Manchester City, even if they did succumb to a late David Silva winner. Here are three things we learned from the match.
Hoffenheim are here to stay
Despite giving up their early lead, and eventually conceding a late winner, Hoffenheim should be proud of their performance against City. They played a big part in a great, entertaining game that will go down in the memory of their fans.
Nagelsmann’s side started superbly, taking the lead through Ishak Belfodil inside the first minute. The unity of the club, from manager to players to fans, is truly something to admire.
The atmosphere the fans created was astounding. For Premier League watchers, this kind of environment will probably be a breath of fresh air. There’s a reason the fight between the fans and the DFB continues.
Hoffenheim have been handed a tough group in their first Champions League season, but based on their two matches so far, few can argue they don’t deserve to be here.
Nagelsmann is getting the best out of his troops for a third season in a row. He has brought on raw, young talent and has got them to play as a unit.
Defenders Kevin Akpoguma and Justin Hoogma have almost no experience playing together, but look like they have the experience of Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi.
In midfield, Florian Grillitsch, still only 23, will have caught the eye of Pep Guardiola with the way he dictated play, particularly in the second half.
Hoffenheim may have lost, but they’ll be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season.
Guardiola may have finally found his best side
Pep Guardiola has been rotating his side ruthlessly this season. The intent behind this rotation is clear. City are in it for the long haul.
Having regained the lead in the race for the Premier League title over the weekend, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see Guardiola rest his best players ahead of the match with Liverpool on Sunday.
But on Tuesday he fielded arguably his strongest side. Bar Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan, every player in the team today is an undisputed started.
They showed intent from the very get go. They weren’t fazed after going down so early, and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck early on.
Leroy Sane was City’s best player in the first half, and the interchange and link-up between the front four — David Silva, Sane, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero — was scintillating at times.
It was clear City needed to win this match today, and Guardiola showed his intent by leaving two of the four on for the entire 90 minutes.
This is probably City’s best side for the rest of the season, and if they continue to play with this intensity, City will really take some stopping.
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Veteran Silva shows why he’s City’s best
City have barely missed Kevin De Bruyne over the past month and a half, in large part thanks to two of their veterans, Sergio Aguero and, in particular, David Silva.
City have an embarrassment of riches in terms of their squad, and after their awful performance against Lyon they needed to bounce back.
Many expected this season to be a bit of a swan song for Silva, but he’s shown just why he’s so important to this City side. His sharpness in the 87th minute to nick in ahead of the defender to steal the ball and bury it ruthlessly is proof that nothing can take away from such vast experience at the top level.
Silva may well be City’s best and most influential player, even if he doesn’t get as much credit as other headline-grabbers. Hats off to you, David.