It wasn't much of a surprise when Crystal Palace silenced the Etihad in August with two first half goals.
Palace have a better record against City than most, and know how to smash-and-grab their way to three points in East Manchester. The only surprise was that Palace scored early, rather than late on.
Erling Haaland's electric start to life at City ensured that Palace's efforts went unrewarded, but that didn't prevent Pep Guardiola from describing his side as 'soft' after the game. His fears would go on to bother him until January, but City have since turned around their attitude and also eradicated that softness when it comes to conceding.
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The two Palace goals came in quick succession and from an identical route - a set-piece on the right. First, John Stones bundled in an own goal, and then Joachim Anderson was unmarked to power in a header. One unorganised set piece is bad enough, but two in 20 minutes?
Bernardo Silva and a Haaland hat-trick ensured the post-match headlines were about City's offensive strength, but Guardiola hadn't forgotten that first half when he did his media rounds after the game.
"We have to improve," Guardiola said. "We are soft in some departments. There are parts we need to be in the competition more. The Premier League doesn't wait. When you are waiting a while it is difficult."
Rodri added: "When you concede two goals in that amount of time, you feel the pressure and have to hurry. You don't have the coach to speak to you. Half-time was good to calm down and keep on with the team. Sometimes it is not about tactics, it is about talking with the lads, being patient. Sometimes you want to score the second before the first."
Was this the first sign of the complacency and 'happy flowers' that Guardiola would try to eradicate over the following months? It would take until another 4-2 home win, where City had to come from two behind, for Guardiola to take his concerns to the media again - and this time he didn't hold back.
Guardiola laid into his players after the 4-2 January win over Tottenham, having failed to solve the 'softness' issue he identified in August. When he saw another identical game mask the issues he felt were far more pressing, he told the media exactly what he felt was the issue.
Since then, City have lost just one in 10 and are unbeaten in seven. Palace are up next and Guardiola could see it as a chance to show they are no longer the 'soft' side he saw in the home game. In his most recent programme notes, the manager said the 'fight' and attitude of his players cannot be questioned recently, so things are clearly improving, but he has also tasked his players with being ready for the next three fixtures that will define City's season across the three remaining competitions.
Central to achieving a win in the first of those three games will be a better record at set pieces. The two set-piece goals conceded in the home game were two of the poorest City have conceded all season, and before the World Cup the Blues conceded two further goals from set pieces from 14 total goals going against them, accounting for 28 per cent of goals against. All four times, City fell behind, and their luck ran out in the home defeat by Brentford.
Since the World Cup the set piece defending appears to have improved. Only two of the 16 goals conceded have come from set pieces, more than halving the rate of goals against from set plays to 12 per cent. There is still room for improvement in that regard, but the lessons from the Palace game appear to have been learned. Only four of the following 25 goals conceded have been from set pieces.
If City can stop those chances coming into the box at Selhurst Park, and stop the dangerous attackers like Wilfried Zaha from winning any free kicks in dangerous areas, then they will be on their way to showing their manager how far they have come since August.
Then, he said the Premier League won't wait. In January, he said City won't beat, or better, Arsenal playing as they were. At the start of a defining week, a trip to Palace seems like a fair test of everything Guardiola has asked of his team this season.
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