Manchester City 2-0 Leicester City Review

Premier League GW30

This was a comfortable Manchester City win against one of the worst Leicester City teams I’ve seen in the Premier League. Yet we’ve seen throughout this season, even poor teams know they’ll be given chances against Manchester City. Not in this match.

MOTM: ILKAY GUNDOGAN

Two good back-to-back performances for Gundogan, who hasn’t had his best season but deserves all the credit in this match. Leading the team for ball recoveries, long passes completed, and providing the second most progressive passes. In every attacking sequence, you see the desire to get into the box ahead of players much younger than him. Good partnership with Nico Gonzalez.

Other names include Omar Marmoush & Savinho

Notable Stats:

• Against Leicester City (H) this evening, Manchester City registered their highest pass completion (94%), highest buildup completion (95.2%), 4th most field tilt (89.3%), and 4th most Possession (72.5%) in a Premier League match this season.

• Ruben Dias registered his highest number of passes into the final third (20) and most passes completed (122) for a single match this season.

• Josko Gvardiol matched his record for most long passes completed (7) in a single match this season.

• Jeremy Doku recorded his highest xA (0.6) for a single match this season.

• Savinho matched his season-high 5 key passes in a single match (Leicester City H, Southampton H).

• Omar Marmoush registered 9 shots and 1.6 npxG against Leicester City, the highest totals he's had in a single match this season.

Game Stats:

Manchester City 2-0 Leicester City

• xG: 2.52 - 0.02

• xThreat: 2.0 - 0.4

• Possession: 72.5% - 27.5%

• Field Tilt: 89.3% - 10.7%

• Penalty Box Shots: 11 - 1

• Deep Entries: 19 - 3

• PPDA: 7.7 - 25.3

• High Turnovers: 9 - 1

Savinho (2,513) and Ilkay Gundogan (2,547) have now passed the 2,500-minute mark for Manchester City this season. The latter started three consecutive matches for the first time in 2025. Matheus Nunes has now passed the 2,000-minute mark; he only managed 1,360 last season. Jeremy Doku has started five consecutive Premier League matches, the first time he's managed this in his City career. Nico Gonzalez has started every Premier League match since he arrived in January.

If you want to stay up-to-date on individual player minutes, back four combinations, underlying numbers, and more, check out the live Google sheet below. 👇

Here is how both teams lined up for the match in midweek, a few changes for Manchester City that I saw coming and others I didn’t. Jack Grealish is allowed to play centrally, build on his cameo against Bournemouth, and put himself in the shop window for a summer move. Jeremy Doku and Savinho have started the last five Premier League matches on the wing now. A proper look at Omar Marmoush as the striker. The first start for Nico O’Reilly in the Premier League.

From Manchester City, you had a 2-4-4 that was quite fluid as O’Reilly on the left side could be in the second line or push up to make runs behind underlapping Doku, who was holding width on the left. Nunes is providing the same role on the right side, although making sure to provide the width if Savinho moves into the half-space. Grealish is then either supporting Marmoush against the opposition backline or he’s dropping deeper to provide an overload. 

The team has options to adjust across the pitch and just weren’t ever properly tested by Leicester City. El Khannouss is an exceptionally talented player in my opinion, but in this match I came away thinking that he’ll need another couple of seasons before a top club will take a risk on him. Leicester could have looked to exploit the Nunes-Savinho side but never did beyond El Khsannouss dropping deep a few times to give a couple of long passes behind O’Reilly that were easily managed. The press against Dias-Gvardiol from Vardy was an easy 2v1.

Recommend following @FalseCB_ who makes excellent tactical graphics from matches. 👇

One of the real positives was starting the match with a real intent to press them high up the pitch and then commit to the counter-press. In the first minute, Marmoush presses Coady, Grealish to Faes, and Savinho to Thomas. Doku applies pressure to Ndidi as the pass comes into him, back to Faes, into Justin, who is pressed by Gundogan, and Doku recovers the loose pass from Justin to Ndidi. He gives it to Nico, and City settles into controlled possession. Setting the tone right away.

J. Grealish 2’ 1-0

We then see that same aggression in the counter press the next minute. Nico, Gundogan, and Grealish are quick to close down players in midfield. Savinho, Doku, Marmoush ready to pounce onto passes. With the options removed, Doku muscles Ndidi off the ball and drives through the middle of the pitch. Notice the three players all running in front of Doku to give him options. Gundogan is getting into the box.

Doku holds off Ndidi and plays the pass into the box for Savinho, who cuts back onto his left foot to find Grealish inside the box. Opening the scoring. Gundogan and Marmoush making runs into the 6-yard box opens up that space for him.

The combination of a left-footed LCB (Gvardiol) and an LB able to cover a lot of ground shows you how quickly you can attack the opposition. O'Reilly then found Grealish inside the left half-space only five seconds after Nunes had the ball on the other side.

O. Marmoush 29’ 2-0

The team is fortunate with the goalkeeper mistake but not with the run made by O'Reilly that Dias picks out, or with Marmoush so quick to pounce on the loose ball and score.

Nico O'Reilly got his first career Premier League start and completed the full 90. Only Jeremy Doku (8) had more progressive carries than O'Reilly (7). The most carries into the final third (7) and successful take-ons (3). The impressive part of the performance IMO was how comfortable he looked at the level and within the team. As mentioned before, the knock-on effect of him playing is Josko Gvardiol looking more comfortable as the LCB, giving us a left-footed LCB, which is very useful for the buildup, and then giving you a ‘spare man’ in O’Reilly that’s dangerous in the final third.

Considering this was the first proper match of Omar Marmoush as the main striker, the focal point, and to whom the team was trying to get the ball for shots. It’s encouraging that this was the single game's highest number of shots (9) he’s had this season. For Man City and Frankfurt. Single game highest npxG (1.5). The most touches he’s had in the opposition box in a Manchester City shirt (10) this season. Good start!

Final mention for Oscar Bobb (85’), who came on for the final five minutes of the match to an incredible reception. I’m confident that without the injury, he was going to be an important player for the team this season; he can still play a big role in finishing with Champions League football and winning the FA Cup.

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Moving Forward

This was a first proper look at Omar Marmoush as the main striker, seeing how his game adjusts and he fits into he team. Scouted did a piece on power forwards recently, and Omar Marmoush was talked about in this modern style of striker for his athleticism. Leading Bundesliga forwards for peak sprint velocity.

The Athletic highlighted the share of total runs made behind by Premier League forwards this season. Haaland is at 38.2% and Marmoush is at 30.3%. He’s got to be on the team because you cannot lose that threat. How this all evolves is yet to be seen, but clearly by the time we reach May, there is going to be a good sample size of games to know whether the team needs another forward in the summer.

Jon Mackenzie has posted metrics below comparing Manchester City before 1st February in the Premier League and after. Everything is trending up. The % of offensive second balls won is 22.7% to 34.1%. Runs in behind in buildup 6.39 per 90 to 10.0.

That then got me thinking about who's been starting most of these matches. Every fan has had their fair share of frustration seeing so many older players in the lineup, but if you look at the Premier League matches (7) since the January window closed, there has been a clear shift. Savinho and Gvardiol have started all seven. Marmoush and Gonzalez started six. Doku, Haaland, Khusanov, and Ederson started five. Dias, Foden, and Nunes started four.

Savinho leads the team as the biggest underperformer of npxG in the Premier League (-3.8). Across the rest of the PL, only Eberechi Eze (-4.3) has underperformed more than him. There is a clear issue with his shooting that’s to be improved upon over his career at Manchester City. But that aside, for a 20-year-old winger in their first season at the club, whose come in on an outstanding season at Girona but little minutes before that is impressive. Despite how poor the team is this season compared to previous ones, it is an achievement to lead in all these metrics. The only other U23 with more PL assists this season is Bukayo Saka (10), Savinho has eight, and there are still eight more matches to go.

This was the news most felt was coming but didn’t want to accept it, let alone be ready for it. He is, for me, the greatest Manchester City player of all time, one of the best Premier League players of all time, and among the best midfielders to have played the game across all leagues. That’s the legacy De Bruyne has gained whilst at the club, along with the trophies, the individual awards, the relationships built with those at the club and fans. This is home for him and he’s given every single Manchester City fan memories they’ll never forget.

Emotions to one side, I think it’s awfully hard to pick your moment to leave, and we’d love to see every club legend leave with The Treble in their final season, but football isn’t always going to give you a perfect ending. For the club, heading into this rebuild, I think it’s the right move. From what Guardiola has said about his conversation with De Bruyne, it was the right moment for him as well.

Later this weekend I’ll be putting out another newsletter on Kevin De Bruyne, going through his numbers, appearances, moments, and qualities in more detail.

Next up for Manchester City is the Manchester derby, which will take place on the 6th of April at 16:30 (GMT).