There were hints here of how Manchester City might struggle in Rodri’s absence as they could not achieve the control their No 6 often brings. Yet Pep Guardiola’s men still sailed to a 4-0 victory, James McAtee’s 73rd-minute strike the last of them, which was a first in club colours, and sealed City’s opening win of this 36-side league phase.
Guardiola chose Ilkay Gündogan and Matheus Nunes in central midfield to fill the Rodri void but City could cede possession cheaply around Slovan Bratislava’s area and be open to the attack: two issues the Spaniard’s presence often stymies.
The arch-strategist could be seen noting this and is sure to find remedies. But, he was delighted at a victory that came at a venue teeming with emotion due to its first hosting of a Champions League game at this stage of the competition.
“It’s a joy to be manager of this team – I love it and I love them,” said Guardiola. “We created a lot of chances and we are improving step by step. So, a good night and now dinner, recover and play the last game [Fulham on Saturday at the Etihad] before the international break.”
After a light show featuring a baritone regaling a club anthem amid raucous applause, the real stuff began with a counter, the classic way to break City open. Jérémy Doku claimed a corner, which Gündogan delivered from the right. Vladimir Weiss’s side defended and as Phil Foden tracked the manager’s son, also Vladimir Weiss, he received the ball. Watching from the sideline, Guardiola winced as Weiss beat City’s No 10 and steered the ball across to Marko Tolic, who missed.
The home fans adored this but not what followed – the opener. City clipped possession about, creating openings for Erling Haaland to surge down the left and, then, for a flying Savinho scissor-kick. The latter was blocked, the ball bounced to a lurking Gündogan outside Slovan’s area: his shot pinballed via Kyriakos Savvidis beyond the helpless goalkeeper, Dominik Takac.
Weiss Jnr, Slovan’s captain, and Weiss Snr exchanged words but soon their side were 2-0 down. This had been billed as a mismatch and Foden, making his first start of the season against Slovakia’s champions of the past six years, suggested why with a curled finish of poise, courtesy of Doku’s pass.
In a switch typical of Guardiola’s ever-active brain, Doku operated on the right and Savinho on the left: a first designed to throw the opposition, and which reaped several corners and an array of bisecting moves. Rico Lewis and Doku combined and the right-back shot, Takac saved, and then the winger saw an effort thump off the left post.
This had become akin to an attacking exercise for City. A Foden attempt was parried by Takac on to the post and Slovan escaped again, as the drummer behind the keeper’s goal led Slovan’s tifosi in endless chants. Guardiola was not content, with City’s sloppiness, Foden a main culprit, as when losing the ball, forcing Haaland to gallop back to help, the manager wheeling round to grumble to his coaching staff.
Foden, too, blasted the ball wide when Haaland was available and miscued when trying to continue a sequence that involved Josko Gvardiol and Lewis. But the No 47’s rustiness did not matter as long as City kept probing.
Next to take aim and hit the frame of the goal was Gündogan, from 19 yards out, the bar denying the visiting captain his second, as this opening 45 minutes ended as it started: with City tormenting their hosts and the drummer drumming.
Keeping the ball against City is tough due to the ruthlessness of their hunt-in-numbers press. So Cesar Blackman killing the chance to do this by spearing a wild crossfield ball that Kevin Wimmer failed to stop going out was criminal. Guardiola spotted the same from his men in the ongoing vulnerability to transitions, which pointed to Rodri’s absence, as City were not the efficient unit who could move Slovan around in continual passages.
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The issue eased when relief came following the type of break that worried the Catalan. One moment, Tigran Barseghyan was unloading near City’s goal, the next Haaland was slaloming in on Lewis’s pass, rounding Takac, and slotting in coolly to make it 3-0, in what proved the Norwegian’s sign-off. He was replaced soon after by McAtee, with Rúben Dias also coming on – for Manuel Akanji, the defender taking the armband from Gündogan.
McAtee’s goal to remember came from a Foden pass and was an expertly drilled shot into the bottom corner. “Buzzing to score,” he said.
