Brentford 1 Man City 3: Foden’s hat-trick and the De Bruyne-Haaland axis reunited

5 Feb 2024

The Athletic

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Brentford 1 Man City 3 Fodens hattrick and the De BruyneHaaland axis
reunited

Michael Cox answers three key questions from Manchester City's victory at Brentford

Manchester City’s trip to Brentford looked like being interesting for two main reasons: first, because of its importance in a tight title race, and second because it was the first time since August that Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were starting a game together.

A 3-1 victory ensured the reigning Premier League champions continued their ominous rise towards top spot — they are now second, two points behind leaders Liverpool but with a game in hand.

But De Bruyne and Haaland were overshadowed by Phil Foden, whose hat-trick helped City come from 1-0 down to earn what ultimately proved to be a relatively comfortable three points.

How Foden ensured he was anything but peripheral

City won the game thanks to Foden’s second Premier League hat-trick, a trio of well-taken, composed finishes from prime goalscoring positions. With De Bruyne and Haaland dominating the side, you wondered whether Foden would feel peripheral. Instead, he made sure he was the main man.

Manchester City finally find a way past Mark Flekken and it's Phil Foden with the equaliser! ???? pic.twitter.com/wQy3BFhp1C

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 5, 2024

Fielded from the left, he was given a surprising amount of licence to come infield, which left the entire left flank to Josko Gvardiol, a somewhat ponderous defender who offered little attacking threat.

Foden popped up more in inside-right zones than he did in genuine left-sided positions, and also burst into the box to make the difference. And for all his creative ability, Foden is a better finisher than a provider — he has now scored 43 Premier League goals, compared to 25 assists.

The second, interestingly, came when De Bruyne found himself out on the left flank, a position he occupied for long periods in the second half. That provided Pep Guardiola’s side with a crossing threat from that area for the first time, and in turn allowed Foden into positions where he could cause most damage.

It now means that, of City’s past 75 shots against Brentford, the only four to have gone in have come from Foden.

Premier League table

How did Haaland and De Bruyne combine?

Not since the opening day of the campaign had De Bruyne and Haaland started together, which is quite something when you consider how often that combination brought goals in the opening weeks of last season. De Bruyne overlapped to the right, Haaland went to the far post, and you knew what would happen next.

On Monday, their link play was sporadic, with the best example coming after six minutes with a classic De Bruyne overlap but, on this occasion, it was a Haaland run to the near post rather than the far. Flekken, as he would continue to do for most of the first half, kept the ball out.

Erling Haaland went close soon after Brentford’s opener but was denied by Mark Flekken (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

Haaland has continued to be a threat in De Bruyne’s absence, but it’s clear the Belgian’s return gives City more angles of attack, particularly in terms of crosses from the right.

Indeed, the main outcome of De Bruyne’s return was how often City focused their play down the right, almost ignoring the left wing until later on in the second half. He sent in 22 crosses in the first hour alone, more than any player has in an entire game this season.

Why do Man City seem to find Brentford difficult opponents?

On three straight occasions, Brentford have caused City problems. Last season they won 2-1 at the Etihad with a genuinely brilliant performance, before completing the double on the final day of 2022-23, albeit against a City side who were preparing for the FA Cup and European Cup finals, having already clinched the title.

Here, they went 1-0 ahead with a curiously simple goal from Neal Maupay, and nearly got to half-time still ahead.

Neal Maupay puts Brentford IN FRONT against the run of play! ???? pic.twitter.com/MB4e1x5IY1

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 5, 2024

But in truth, this was a very different display from the one at the Etihad last season. On that day they carried out a long-ball and counter-attacking plan with tremendous efficiency. Ivan Toney produced a brilliant individual performance. City were outplayed, and deservedly lost.

Brentford’s early lead here depended largely on Flekken, and their goal, albeit probably a training-ground move from a goal kick, came out of nothing. They created few other chances, and City were the better side throughout.

Still, it’s clear that Brentford’s approach — deep defending, sudden counters and set pieces — provides City with a challenge they don’t relish. It’s only a fortnight until their next meeting, delayed because of City’s participation in the Club World Cup.