Pep Guardiola tipped a bottle of water over his head. Even though the attire, all black, will have added to the heat, it really wasn’t hot enough for such drastic measures.
The cold shower can only have been to keep him alert. To wake him up. Manchester City were just not there, drowsy on the south coast, not the team that had started to crank performances up as their manager found new ways to attack teams at the end of a year that he’s admitted has been the most challenging of his career.
Champions League qualification could have been all but done in Southampton. They could’ve gone level with Arsenal in second, as unfathomable as that may sound, but laboured like mid-winter. City had done the hard bit in muscling into third and have let the others behind back in.
And this goalless draw means they have only managed to stick one past the division’s bottom side, marooned all alone having conceded 82 times and only just better than Derby County. St Mary’s erupted at the end, a ray of light for them and for caretaker Simon Rusk. Guardiola stormed towards the centre circle, a sarcastic verbal exchange with Rusk’s coach Adam Lallana, to point at frustration.
Rusk discussed the necessity of preserving Southampton’s dignity in these final arduous weeks of a stinking campaign and planned to nudge them clear of Derby’s 11-point record etched in infamy in singles.
One at West Ham and, surprisingly, one here. City were limp, lethargic. Rusk didn’t really instruct his players to bother themselves with entering the opposition’s half and obviously felt comfortable enough with camping right on top of Aaron Ramsdale’s plot. Watching winger Tyler Dibling instinctively hoofing one loose ball straight out for a throw with zero viable options in front of him within five minutes did much to set the stall.
Southampton rarely threatened – Ruben Dias throwing himself in front of a Mateus Fernandes shot as exciting as it became at Ederson’s end – but then City didn’t either. The onus was on Guardiola’s side, who had appeared something resembling resurgent in taking charge of this top five tussle, able to call on their top scorer Erling Haaland for the first time in over a month. Haaland, who has criticised a lack of ‘hunger’ inside the dressing room, appeared rusty.
Late on they pressed more, Ramsdale tipping a Dias header over, Nico O’Reilly adding impetus and Haaland not quite gathering a misguided Jeremy Doku square. Jan Bednarek flung a head in front of Kevin De Bruyne’s effort.
Omar Marmoush rattled Ramsdale’s bar on the turn, begging the question why he wasn’t utilised from the bench earlier than the 84th minute. Lallana stood nervously by the Lucozade boxes chucking arms at their defenders and they were resolute – certainly the result of their season and at last some form of feelgood factor for a club long since doomed.
City though, who ended up with Bernardo Silva at right back, have made this a far tenser final fortnight of the season than it need to be. They are not quite relying on results elsewhere but it is looking like two victories against Bournemouth and Fulham – after the FA Cup final – are going to be required if they manage to secure a spot at the top table again.
