Pep Guardiola and Kyle Walker both offered contrasting verdicts on Manchester City's draw at Nottingham Forest. Both are right - but perhaps the best analysis of the game came from the opposite dugout.
Guardiola said: "It is one of the best games we have played but... we should be more aggressive," as he pointed to City's host of missed chances as an off-day, rather than a symptom of anything more concerning. "We didn’t score and that’s all, what can I say?"
Walker, though, was more critical. He called the result unacceptable and called on City's forwards to be more clinical, and the defence to be better in standing firm on the occasions when the attack is misfiring to hold on for a 1-0 win. Walker is said to have been furious in the tunnel at the City Ground immediately after full-time.
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It's true that City had both a good overall performance and also needed to be better at both ends. City's expected goals was 2.78, which is more remarkable considering the goal they did get will have had a low xG value. Phil Foden, Aymeric Laporte, Erling Haaland and Rodri were all guilty of wasting good chances, and on another day City would have had four or five before Chris Wood's strike.
For Guardiola, that appears to be an easier problem to fix going forward. The chances were there, the finishing wasn't, and there were no scathing attacks on City needed after this performance.
He will be concerned, though, that yet another team has been able to take points off City with one of their only shots - look at Everton's draw at the Etihad, Liverpool's win at Anfield, or the 1-1 at Aston Villa. Even when City dropped points against Brentford, Tottenham and Newcastle, they had more shots and chances than their opponents. Only at Manchester United have City been beaten on shot count in the eight times they've not won in the Premier League this season.
The win at Arsenal this week was similar yet completely unfamiliar, in that Arsenal's goal came form their only shot on target (albeit from the penalty spot), but City were able to win with just 36 per cent possession - their lowest ever under Guardiola in the Premier League. On Wednesday, the Blues were clinical with 36 per cent of the ball, on Saturday they were desperately wasteful despite having 74 per cent possession.
And Forest boss Steve Cooper also gave a familiar verdict to other Premier League colleagues on his side's successful tactics. Cooper echoed the likes of Brentford and Everton when he said his side had to be perfect in their game plan, hope for City to be off their game, and then rely on a bit of luck. Forest earned that luck with a decent defensive performance and Cooper praised his side for buying into a different tactical plan aimed at stunting City rather than going toe-to-toe.
Crucially, Cooper also revealed that he targeted City's left-back area on the few occasions they were able to think about counter-attacking. Guardiola has used Bernardo Silva as a left-back in the previous two games, or at least as the defensive midfielder tasked with looking after the left-back position. Bernardo was more of a midfielder at Forest but was still the designated left-back without the ball.
It worked a treat against Aston Villa as Bernardo was everywhere on the pitch, and it helped against Arsenal to add another body in the build-up as Bernardo could step alongside Rodri if he wasn't preoccupied with Bukayo Saka. When Guardiola saw the chance to change things, he restored a back-four, moved Bernardo into attack and City got two goals to strike a huge title race blow.
Guardiola didn't make a change until after Forest's equaliser, though, and Bernardo was guilty of being caught high up the pitch as Forest produced a lovely move to earn their point. In the space of 20 passes, Forest created an overload on City's right, switched the play, and were able to draw Bernardo out of position and play a one-two behind him - leaving him behind the play and sprinting back fruitlessly.
That brought Laporte wide, who was easily passed, and Rodri was the last hope to stop Brennan Johnson - but when he slipped in Morgan Gibbs-White to cross for Wood, Forest had pulled City's three left-sided defensive players out of position and scored a goal City would have been proud to score. They 'out-Citied' City, and Cooper's tactical plan worked to perfection.
Guardiola can be pleased with City's overall play, but the manner in which they conceded will concern him on second viewing. Bernardo's positional change has worked in the last week, and will probably work again, although Forest proved it's still in the experimental stage.
The manager was able to change his defence to win at Arsenal. He may regret not doing the same as Forest stole a point with a cunning plan that Robin Hood would be proud of.
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