Man City suffer attitude problem as West Ham show them the way

After what is a big 2-1 defeat for Manchester City against West Ham, Manuel Pellegrini pointed to the “little things” — the fine margins, the individual moments. That may have been right, but it would only reveal yet another City problem for the manager to try to downplay that it was one of those little things summed up the Hammers’ supreme win.

It probably had more of an effect than so many desperate last-second James Collins tackles or divine David Silva touches, and revealed attitudes that led to more significant moments like Morgan Amalfitano’s opening goal and Diafra Sakho’s clincher. The “little moment” that defined this loss for City came in the 69th minute, as the ball was played towards City’s right-hand side. An off-guard Pablo Zabaleta mis-controlled, and a blisteringly alert Enner Valencia charged past him. The Ecuadorian really may as well have trampled over Zabaleta, such was the effect.

City were clearly not up to pace; West Ham were allowed into the kind of advanced position that just shouldn’t have been possible. But that has been the story of their season so far, as Sam Allardyce’s side sit just a point behind the defending champions in fourth place — who are themselves already five off leaders Chelsea with a game more played.

It was little wonder the managers came out to their post-match news conferences in the moods they did. Allardyce was trying to suppress a hugely satisfied smile and stay magnanimous; Pellegrini was trying to suppress his anger and stay calm.

The Chilean coach certainly cut a very different figure from the detached, urbane figure often portrayed. He was as irritable and dismissive as Jose Mourinho or Arsene Wenger at their worst. He also didn’t want to answer any of the main questions from this defeat, from the dismal nature of City’s defending to the gap developing between themselves and Chelsea.

He did, however, insist that his side did not deserve defeat. That is probably true when you look at how prolific they were in terms of creating chances, and how close those chances were to going in: Yaya Toure hit the bar with the type of effort that might have gone in on another day; Sergio Aguero preceded him with the type of opportunity he would usually bury. City were undeniably unlucky, but that does not, however, mean this defeat was entirely undeserved.

Pellegrini’s claims ring hollow when you consider their work rate. It may seem an easy statement to make, but for long periods of this game, City were unwilling to do the hard work. They only stepped up in the last 15, after Silva had scored an admittedly sublime goal. Beyond that, though, the exact problem was that Pellegrini, on the sidelines, showed much more anger and desire than his team.

That could be much more relevant than just one bad result. And it could hint at something deeper that may affect the rest of their season.

The problem for any defending champion since time immemorial is developing the same urgency that put them there, the same edge. City’s slackness does not seem a coincidence in that regard. Indeed, this is the second time it has happened. Just as in 2012-13, they face a manager who is more adept than most at engendering that kind of winners’ anger, and who doesn’t let leads slip. Mourinho’s Chelsea are already developing the kind of momentum as Sir Alex Ferguson’s last Manchester United champions.

City must match that kind of mood before they can even dream of matching that pace. At Upton Park, they couldn’t match West Ham’s power; the performance from Allardyce’s side displayed the attitude that should have been seen from City.

“It had grit, determination, quality, desire and everything you wanted, including one or two flashy moments,” Allardyce purred, trying to keep a straight face. “The game was on the edge. The Premier League is so exciting because of the amount of activity in both penalty areas. Today it went from end to end, and gladly we came out on top. It’s massive statement for us as a team and a club.”

It also represents a massive leap. After the game, Pellegrini said West Ham’s display didn’t “surprise” him because they “are playing well,” but the extent of the leap is a surprise.

It is only nine months since Mourinho accused them of “19th-century football.” It is only three since Allardyce looked on the brink of the sack, with all kinds of discussions about the type of football supposedly being demanded at West Ham. Now he is in charge of one of the most exciting teams in the league, and it says much that they were better to watch than City for extended periods of this game.

After it, Allardyce was asked about the summer, and referred to coming through some “dark moments.” He played it well, but couldn’t help an old flourish: he stated he doesn’t dwell on the past … before dwelling on the past. He pointed to the stats Gary Neville had brought up last week, that the English manager has an average finish of 10th in the Premier League. They are now justifiably aiming much higher, but that is because Allardyce has got the team to gel as quickly as so many of his new players run.

West Ham’s passion was obvious, and it won them the game.

Sakho and Valencia have been exhilarating, but part of that is because he has found a formation that fits them so well, and is facilitated by the influence of Alex Song. After this game, Allardyce likened the Cameroon midfielder’s influence to that of some notable players from his old Bolton Wanderers team.

“He’s been in the shadow a little bit because of Valencia and Sakho but this lad has outstanding quality,” he said. “He goes along the style of Fernando Hierro and Jay-Jay Okocha who I had in my teams before. His promoting and passing and also his protection of the back players is excellent. Every man played his best today, that’s the beauty of it. They deservedly got the victory that not too many people expected. We’re on a fantastic run at the minute.

“There are five players out there today who have done excellent jobs, and a sixth, [Cheikhou] Kouyate, who came on as sub who we are really pleased to have back. So the rest of the players who have been with us for a while are playing well as well. And I don’t think Valencia and Sakho really know what they have done yet. I don’t think they really know how good they’ve been.”

Allardyce knows. He knows all too well. So does Pellegrini. That was evident in their respective moods.