3 positives & negatives from 4-1 defeat against Manchester City

Positive #2: Avoided capitulation

This may seem obsolete given the final scoreline, but in years gone by,this game would likelyd have ended in a five or even six-nil thrashing. It is a testament to the mental strength of this young team that they were able to prevent a complete capitulation.

With City playing arguably the best football they have played all season, a comeback was never likely, and it would have been easy for the players to just give up. The Sky Blues continued to dominate and outclassed us on the night, but the team did everything they could to keep the scoreline as respectable as possible.

That mentality is going to be vital for the remainder of the season, and Ramsdale is confident the team will continue to fight.

"“We haven’t played nine months of Premier League football to be in this position to moan or give up – we’re not going to do that. If something is going to happen, it’s going to be in our league, so, we’ve got to be there to pounce if anything happens.”"

Negative #2: The midfield

Throughout this campaign, our midfield players have been lauded, and rightly so as they have been fantastic all season. However, last night, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard all failed to make any impact on the game whatsoever.

City found it too easy to deal with the trio, and even more frustratingly, found it far too easy to play through them. Partey failed to protect the back four, Xhaka couldn’t progress the ball effectively and Odegaard struggled to keep possession. As a collective, we failed to impose ourselves at either end of the pitch, and when that is the case, the midfield must be scrutinised.

Continued on the next slide…