West Brom 2 – 3 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS

After all the talk of our away day struggles, this was a welcome response. For half an hour, the performance was reminiscent of what we have been accustomed to seeing at the Etihad recently: intensity, tempo, creativity and goals. Then, instead of pushing forward to put the game beyond doubt, as we have done at home, we sat back and tried to coast through the rest of the match. And had the game been extended for another five minutes, we may have been in trouble.

As it was, we secured a deserved victory. Irresistible early on and then passively efficient, we fully merited the three points yet although the scoreline arguably flatters West Brom, there were enough signs in the second half of our defensive frailties.

Having established a two-goal lead, we dropped deep and invited pressure. Whether that was a plan, so as we could then attack on the counter, is unknown but there wasn’t the control we have come to expect. Of course, we shouldn’t always compare performances and results at home and on the road, but had this game taken place in Manchester, I can’t help but think we would have pressed on and scored another couple. Instead, we went into standby mode at two, then switched off at three and were given a fright at the end.

Yet we shouldn’t forget that for the first half hour, City were sublime. Some of the quality of passing was sensational, the movement off the ball and the intricate link-up play delightful. Our first two goals came from lengthy periods of possession, whereby we used the ball intelligently to find an opening and then exploited it with clinical finishing. And while all the attention will no doubt be directed towards our strikers as we continue to entertain, the key figure last night was behind them, often in the shadows, but always there.

Intercepting, driving, prodding, working, pressing, impressing. Fernandinho was everywhere. As he has been, in fact, for the past weeks. After a slow, lightweight start to his career with the Blues, he has been an instrumental figure in our glide towards the top of the table, not necessarily providing the goals and assists, but dictating the tempo and always keeping us ticking. He’s a dynamic figure, energetic and mobile, able to cover ground quickly and technically adept. While others receive the plaudits, he’s in the background, making sure we’re functioning as a team. That he continues to be overlooked by the Brazilian national team is baffling but more performances like this and he’ll surely achieve his dream and be in the squad for the World Cup.