Manchester City showed no mercy to Burnley as they hit the Clarets for five, in a game where Phil Foden stole the headlines on the pitch after grabbing a brace.
Manchester City Beat Burnley But Banner Overshadows Proceedings
Manchester City Run Riot on the Pitch
The City side differed to the one that featured against Arsenal, with the inclusion of Sergio Aguero, Phil Foden and several other first-team stars who had been brought into the side.
Riyad Mahrez grabbed a brace alongside Foden’s, with the other goal coming from the midfield veteran David Silva. City, started the game as they meant it, causing Burnley to tire with their constant and moderate movement of the ball. Eventually, they found the breakthrough before half time, where Foden unleashed a tidy shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner.
City were rampant as they pressed for more as Mahrez scored two in quick succession just before the half time interval. A destructive motion continuing with two more in the second half, with Silva getting the fourth and Foden the fifth with a gliding finish from close range.
The Airplane Banner Controversy
Unfortunately again, we are here talking about football for the wrong reasons. Instead of the 5-0 victory taking the main headlines; it was a rather dissatisfying outlook for a banner displaying ‘White Lives Matter – Burnley’.
Clearly inappropriate and insensitive given the circumstances, as to whether it was done for a practical joke or there was malicious intent behind the idea, it’s hard to know. Nevertheless, racism continues to dominate the news and it seems as if the work we already had to do to eradicate such immoral nativity just got became an even bigger job. One thing that was correct was Burnley’s stance to immediately release a statement and disassociate themselves with the banner that featured their name. Football will continue to combat racism and will not tolerate it in any form.
Phil Foden the Perfect Home Grown Option to Ease Transfer Worries
Pep Guardiola looks to not be in a hurry to spend large amounts of cash this summer. So there is an option in their very own Foden to help bolster an already multi-talented assembled squad. The youngster giving City a fresh approach to attack games with his ability to devise a productive service, whereby other players can thrive off knowing the Stockport Iniesta can do something that little bit special. The departing David Silva will be a miss, yet it seems a tailor-made replacement is already there waiting in the wings eagerly.
As for Foden impressing the manager then, Guardiola has always talked about him highly. The problem being lack of minutes because of the competitive nature of trying to get into an outstanding side. Even the manager may not be able to ignore the recent form going forward, as Foden seems to have added that vital goals contribution to his game.
Burnley Struggle With Lack of Squad Depth
Burnley’s struggle may not have been a surprise considering the relentless and ever probing City. Yet the team selection did show no real senior representation on their bench with experienced players like Joe Hart, Jeff Hendrick, Aaron Lennon all on their way towards the exit door.
This shows an unfortunate problem for the Clarets having been affected by the COVID-19 situation; in a way where due to finances being tight it was hard to extend certain players contracts for longer. Going forward, Sean Dyche may well be relieved that they are well away from a relegation battle and sit comfortably in mid-table. Therefore now might be the ideal time to try to play some youth, not losing anything position-wise in terms of league status and who knows the next gem may just be found within their academy setup.
What’s Next
Burnley will be looking for an immediate response with Watford next up at Turf Moor. The Clarets are hoping to right their wrongs after a disappointing night in Manchester.
City will be taking on Chelsea in a mouthwatering match-up at Stamford Bridge. Should City drop any points and Liverpool win their game against Crystal Palace, they will subsequently handover their crown to the champions-elect.
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