Sam Allardyce as good as Pep Guardiola? Man City show they are separated by a gulf

Nobody is forward of Sam Allardyce. Not Jurgen Klopp, not Mikel Arteta and never Pep Guardiola. Or so argued Allardyce, anyway. A recreation into his comeback, simply perhaps Guardiola is barely forward of him. The scoreline instructed as a lot, with the match – as one-sided as a 2-1 can get – indicating they are separated by a gulf, in ambition and ability, in skill, in possession and footballing philosophy. But, given the inferior gamers at his disposal and the difficulties he inherited, a man of Allardyce’s immense self-confidence could really feel it supported his case that they are equals.

If a logical rationalization of Allardyce’s debut defeat in control of his ninth Premier League membership – eight greater than Guardiola – is that Manchester City are a higher crew than Leeds United, in higher kind and that the Spaniard has had seven years to work a few of his gamers and the Englishman three days together with his, there was little early proof of his self-proclaimed genius. Not as Leeds amassed 48 passes within the first half, and Ilkay Gundogan accomplished 92 on his personal. Nor as his defensiveness proved self-defeating as Gundogan, supposedly City’s holding midfielder, was in impact invited ahead and duly delivered a swift, scientific brace.

Allardyce is entitled to argue that the dismissed Javi Gracia received a a lot heavier beating at Bournemouth final week, that his four-game rescue mission in impact solely ever boiled all the way down to the trio of fixtures towards Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham, that he escaped the Etihad Stadium with out actually denting United’s purpose distinction. Yet that owed a lot to a uncommon off day from a Leeds lad. The Yorkshire-born Erling Haaland headed towards the bar, shot towards the publish and drilled vast after Kevin De Bruyne discovered him in pleasant vogue. The 51-goal ahead had six alternatives however spared a membership his father, Alf Inge, used to signify. Haaland’s generosity prolonged to permitting Gundogan to take an 84th-minute penalty however, as a substitute of finishing a hat-trick, he struck the publish.

So the scoreline had a respectability for Allardyce, particularly contemplating that Leeds had conceded 4 to Bournemouth, 5 to Crystal Palace and 6 to Liverpool in Gracia’s terrible April. And but a supervisor who had bracketed himself with a few of these on the prime of his occupation returned with a model of anti-football. There have been contrasting ways from obvious friends, with Allardyce’s all-out defence towards Guardiola’s extra offensive strategy. City performed with the ball, Leeds with out it. It was progressive towards regressive.

Leeds conceded 19 minutes into Allardyce’s reign and earlier than two of his midfielders, Jack Harrison and Weston McKennie, had accomplished a cross. They conceded a second and begun the second half earlier than Harrison had discovered a teammate. He went off after 65 minutes with a lone profitable cross to his identify. Not that it was totally the winger’s fault; simply as striker Patrick Bamford was so remoted he may very well be forgiven if he have been affected by loneliness.

The Allardyce blueprint was unsurprising. Bielsa’s buccaneers weren’t Allardyce’s adventurers. Rather, the purpose was to be Big Sam’s bores, to close out City. Such attacking intent as they possessed within the first half consisted of urging McKennie to take lengthy throws, with Allardyce mimicking them in case the American was in any doubt. There was a little extra positivity after the break, with the substitute Rodrigo halving the deficit after Manuel Akanji’s poor header. It helped Leeds that City’s ideas turned to Real Madrid; Guardiola had already made seven modifications for the beginning, although the undesirable alteration got here within the second half when Nathan Ake limped off.

They have 10 consecutive league victories, 14 wins in a row at residence in 2023. Leeds have 5 defeats of their final six outings. Allardyce is the clean-sheet specialist introduced in to restore Leeds’ leaky defence however even packing it with one thing approximating to a again 9 proved a flawed strategy.

With Rodri rested, Gundogan was deployed as the defensive midfielder; in actuality, he had little defending to do. Leeds’ coverage of retaining so many gamers again gave him licence to advance and he twice struck in comparable vogue. Twice discovered by Riyad Mahrez, twice in house on the sting of the field – Leeds have been nonetheless deeper – he picked out both backside nook with knowledgeable precision. He confirmed much less accuracy when Pascal Struijk tripped Phil Foden within the field.

Allardyce had chosen Robles forward of the out-of-form Illan Meslier, maybe for his prowess at timewasting, maybe for the saves he created from Haaland and Foden, and repurposed Rasmus Kristensen as a centre-back. He prowled across the technical space like an exasperated rhino. Alongside him was a hyperactive Karl Robinson, endlessly pointing to try to convey classes learnt at Oxford; the League One soccer membership, not the college. With City 2-0 up, the house trustworthy serenaded Allardyce with chants about him being sacked within the morning. Even Leeds aren’t fairly prepared for a fifth supervisor of the season but, nevertheless, and the second half at the least instructed they are not in freefall. But a quarter of Allardyce’s reign is gone already and the underlying downside for Leeds is that 16 golf equipment are forward of them within the desk and the three beneath have video games in hand.