Na so e be for Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Manchester City bin dey look defeat for face for dia Premier League opening match, but Marc Guéhi and Josko Gvardiol don turn the whole thing upside down. Na 2-1 final score wey don cause celebrations for the new manager, Enzo Maresca.
Maresca wey take over from Pep Guardiola no fit start with victory for league. But e don suffer first test. Bournemouth bin take lead for 26th minute through Marcus Tavernier, and for 84 minutes e look like City for begin with loss. But Guéhi wey many pipo bin dey talk about say e dey play midfield instead of defence, head the ball from corner to equalise for 84th minute. Then for second minute of stoppage time, Gvardiol wey receive pass from Rayan Cherki bundle the ball inside net. VAR check long, but dem give goal, and city fans dey shout.
Maresca bin don lose 3-0 to Arsenal for Community Shield, so dis win na important one. After match, e talk say e dey happy with spirit but e still dey call am ‘work in progress’. E say, ‘We don try different things, we dey look for solutions. For sure, when you win, e dey help.’
The big topic before kick-off na Guéhi wey be centre-back for Crystal Palace. Maresca decide to use am for holding midfield, and e score goal as well. Guéhi talk say na idea from the manager, and dem work on am for training. E say, ‘I no dey play midfield too often, but e dey good because I get plenty help from my teammates. When you get that, you go out and do your best.’
Maresca also explain: ‘I know Marc from Palace. I always think e fit play as midfielder because e dey very good. So we try am for few days and I think e dey quite good. E give us solution for future.’
But e no be only football wey dey talk for dis match. Erling Haaland come with new haircut – buzz cut wey people dey discuss. The Norway striker wey dey famous for long hair don cut all am off. For video, Zlatan Ibrahimovic bin ask if Haaland ‘lose bet’ and say ‘You go faster now, or what?’ Guardiola as former manager also joke say, ‘You lucky say you still get hair, I go love to have am!’
Haaland no score for the match. E miss plenty chances, including one wey e mistime for close range. But e fit take heart say e get Gvardiol and Guéhi to carry the load.
Before the match, City fans also unfurl big tifo with Maresca face and message ‘Welcome back Enzo’. Maresca say e dey emotional see am. ‘I bin dey very happy see the banner. We give fans joy at the end. E dey quite emotional, the spirit dey fantastic.’
Bournemouth new manager Marco Rose bin near make history with first away win against City. E talk say, ‘We come here to win for first time, and we bin dey on good way. But we do many good things, we get many things to improve. At the end, e dey unlucky to lose that way.’ E complain say dem defend corner too passive, and second goal na because dem no push up well.
For transfer news, BBC report say City don agree £86m fee to sign midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille. Bouaddi na 18-year-old Moroccan, and e go join man like Elliot Anderson wey sign for club-record and play for the match. Maresca talk say e no know about the deal because e no talk to decision-makers yet. Rodri don go Barcelona, Tijjani Reijnders don travel Saudi Arabia, so City need to fill middle of park.
Former City goalkeeper Joe Hart talk about the new midfield pairing. E say, ‘Guéhi and Anderson interesting, but e no go be long-term thing, especially with Bouaddi coming in. Maresca dey try things for game because people dey come back late from World Cup. City don change everything, but dem still expect to win.’
Sunday match na first time for Maresca for Premier League, and e fit go down as day wey e almost lose but no lose. The season still long, and man like Haaland go surely find e scoring boots. But for now, City fans dey happy with three points.
