Man City has a trip to Bournemouth in round 26 of the Premier League. Only having to meet an opponent considered much weaker, coach Pep Guardiola still has many reasons to be cautious. English football always contains many surprises and Man City has many times “fallen” in matches where they seemed sure to win.
Comment on Bournemouth vs Man City
Why is Man City worried even though they are continuously winning matches? The answer lies in Kevin de Bruyne’s position. The Belgian midfielder has a hamstring problem and it is unknown if he can return in this round or not.
Even when De Bruyne was physically fit, coach Pep Guardiola still ranked him as a reserve. Taking risks with a player who has just returned from injury is unnecessary when the tournament is entering a tense period.
In the situation where Jack Grealish is also absent for a long time, Man City will put all their trust in Doku on the left wing. On the right wing, Foden seems to be guaranteed a starting position. The person chosen to replace Kevin de Bruyne is Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese player is still a reliable choice in many difficult situations that Man City faces.
Silva’s playing style has many differences compared to De Bruyne. He can provide direct breakthroughs and create large spaces for Erling Haaland. This is also a match where Haaland must work twice as hard because he will not have the best support from the midfield.
On the other side of the front line, Bournemouth has not yet fallen into a relegation spiral, but accumulating points will help the Vitality home team be safer in the next stage.
However, Bournemouth’s ambition to find a draw was significantly affected by the personnel situation. A series of key players such as Tyler Adams, Max Aarons, Ryan Fredericks, Lewis Cook… could not play. Bournemouth will try their best but if they fail, that is normal and they still have a chance in the next matches.
Bournemouth vs Man City form
Bournemouth cannot be said to be playing well but they are trying their best. This team won 1, drew 3 and lost 2 in the last 6 matches.
Man City continues to show “destructive” form since De Bruyne and Haaland returned from injury. This team won 5 and drew 1 in the last 6 matches.