If you blinked during Manchester City’s draw at Southampton, you might have missed James McAtee entirely. McAtee was handed a rare start by Pep Guardiola but found himself swallowed whole by Southampton’s defensive octopus. He couldn’t unpick the locks, couldn’t find the keys — heck, he couldn’t even find the door.
McAtee lost in the tactical maze
Operating on the right wing but drifting centrally, McAtee was like a man trying to find Wi-Fi in the basement of St. Mary’s. Southampton’s press suffocated him and left little room for maneuver. Sure, there were flickers of danger — a cross here, a darting run there — but they dissipated faster than City’s title hopes in the first half.
McAtee and Pep’s plan: a mismatch made in midfield
Blame cannot sit squarely on McAtee’s shoulders, though. Pep Guardiola’s tactical blueprint seemed written in invisible ink on Saturday. The lack of width, the absence of urgency — it was like watching a band forget to bring the drummer. McAtee thrives when the orchestra is in full swing; he is not yet the conductor who can start the music himself.
He shines when City are cruising — not when they’re rowing upstream
We’ve seen the best of him before — his hat trick against Salford, his slick assists against Crystal Palace. But these moments have one thing in common: City were already dancing downhill. Asking McAtee to drag the team up the hill is like asking a poet to build scaffolding — not impossible, but hardly their forte.
In truth, McAtee remains a promising player with a toolbox full of finesse — he just needs the rest of the crew to show up with him. Otherwise, it’s a lonely old game out there. Patience is key if he sharpens his resilience and adapts to tougher days, his ceiling remains as high as City’s ambitions.
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