"This time it was the first on the way to a largely comfortable 2-0 win in Spain that suggests that a team is emerging once again, with Bernardo Silva scoring the second in a first half of notable superiority before a second in which there were moments to suffer but not too many of them. When Haaland was withdrawn with five minutes to go, there were whistles and relief; he, and they, could do no more damage."
"It was not easy to define the formation Pep Guardiola applied; at times it looked something like 3-24-1, with John Stones stepping in to defence when Villarreal had the ball and out of it when City did. Which is to say that most of the time he was out of it, the shape shifting with him and with others as well."
Manchester City defeated Villarreal 2-0 in Spain with Erling Haaland scoring early and Bernardo Silva adding a second in a dominant first half. City controlled possession heavily and displayed fluid, shifting formations with John Stones moving into defence at times. Villarreal, a tall and athletic side planning to sit deep and counter, struggled to decipher City’s movements and produced only fleeting threats. Ruben Dias and others closed down attacks while Pape Gueye had a long-range effort saved or missed. Haaland was substituted with five minutes remaining amid whistles and relief, with no further damage done.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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