by Stephen Tudor (Daisy Cutter)
If Manchester City’s humiliating 4-0 trouncing at Stamford Bridge on Sunday wasn’t bad enough the final whistle brought further shame on the whore of world football. After ninety minutes of apathetic disunity the mercenaries disgracing the badge of this once proud club were seen laughing with their opponents and swapping shirts – presumably to try the Chelsea blue on for size ahead of their agent agitating for a move there next summer.
It was further proof – if any further proof was needed – that this is not a team but rather a collection of individuals entirely lacking in group spirit or devotion to the cause and while their geographical rivals Manchester United top the table City’s extravagance in the transfer market only continues to produce supposed superstars content to pick up their ludicrous wages.
Take £89m world record signing Fernandinho; anonymous once again and out-fought and out-played by players costing a fraction of his fee. The Brazilian is surely fated to go down as the most expensive flop in the history of football. Or what about the continuing saga of another of their handsomely-paid duds Sergio Aguero? A player who evidently believes he is bigger than the club yet hapless Guardiola still incredibly doesn’t know where to employ him: up front, in midfield or on the bench. Until that at least is decided City will remain a laughing stock.
Perhaps the most damning evidence that this is a club spiralling in desperation and oil money is a new signing conspicuous by his absence. This summer City once again tried to buy their way into the Premier League’s elite by swooping for tricky Leroy Sane for £30M (pocket change for a club with more money than sense) yet the winger was again nowhere to be seen. You have to question why City’s latest touchline scapegoat Guardiola even bothered to lure him from Germany as he clearly doesn’t rate the talent. It’s certainly not a Sane decision or as Paul Smith from the Daily Mirror said in his memorable rant on Sky in 2010 – “That structure there is an absolute load of nonsense. They’ve got a manager who is clearly arrogant in his ways. They’re going out with a chequebook; they’re free-spending and buying players left, right and centre.”
Left, right and centre but apparently forgetting all about defence. Backing up Smith’s claim fifty million pound man John Stones’ unfortunate injury at the weekend has left City desperately short of quality at the back, an astounding development considering they have recently spent more than a small nation’s GDP. Maybe they’re too arrogant and soulless to think they need anyone other than yet another Galactico? Certainly that would tie in with journalist Rob Beasley’s views who once said of the club – “They’ve got so much money but morally they’re bankrupt.”
Bankrupt of morals and indeed ideas. In recent years City have gone through managers as if they’re a post-curry toilet roll while embarking on an unprecedented spending spree that has won them precisely one FA Cup. In the recent Manchester derby City – with the most expensive Premier League squad in history – resorted to lumping the ball long in a fashion not seen on these shores since the 1980s.
With leaks coming out of the club, dire performances, a complete lack of direction, and yet more lavish spending set for January this is a club whose middle name should be crisis. Throwing Pep Guardiola onto the pyre to join Mancini and Pellegrini won’t solve that.
Sunday’s defeat plummeted City down to 7th a position in the league table hinterland they’re becoming all-too-familiar with having failed to reach the top four – never mind stage a realistic title bid at any stage – in all-but-one of their woeful campaigns since they lifted the trophy in what now seems a lifetime ago. Remember that? When they were respected?
While their rivals United entertain and strive to make history City only continue to ruin football with their doomed policy of spending and burning. Here’s the Mirror’s Paul Smith in 2010 again to sum up the difference – “Let’s say you had a Jose Mourinho. He wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t walk into Manchester City just because they’re wealthy and just get the chequebook out and buy this player and that player. It’s a typical example of a club who think they can go and buy success”
Well, quite.