Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth was blown away by an “unbelievable” Manchester City side during their 6-1 Carabao Cup thumping at the Etihad Stadium, speaking on the Chairboy’s Twitter account.
The Premier League has changed a bit since Ainsworth was playing top-flight football in the navy blue of Wimbledon two decades ago.
The potato-patch pitches and whiplash-inducing head tennis have been consigned to the history books, with clubs such as Man City – and managers like Pep Guardiola – epitomising a shift towards technique over tenacity, finesse over fight, brains over brawn.
The Premier League champions rested a handful of star players last night but it’s testament to the strength in depth at Guardiola’s disposal he could still call on the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling and two-goal Riyad Mahrez when Wycombe came to town.
Wycombe boss: Manchester City a ‘mile away from when I played’
“What a front five (Manchester City) had out tonight. They were absolutely brilliant. I had to smile at some of the football being played,” says Ainsworth, Wycombe’s mosh-pit manager.
“I was lucky enough to play at this level a long time ago and this league is a mile away from when I played. It was a little bit, you know, long ball-ish and route one and the pitches weren’t great.
“But now, they’re just unbelievable athletes, technicians, thinkers. Pep Guardiola’s got an unbelievable squad – and I wish him all the best.”
Wycombe took a shock lead at the Etihad with just 22 minutes on the clock.
But it didn’t take long for Man City to reassert their authority, with Brandon Hanlan’s opener the sporting equivalent of poking a sleeping tiger with a stick.
De Bruyne equalised before Mahrez, Foden, Torres and Manchester-born 19-year-old Cole Palmer found the net.
But the wild-eyed celebrations that followed Hanlan’s early strike will stick with Ainsworth and left Wycombe supporters dreaming, if just for five short minutes, of a giant-killing the likes of which we haven’t seen in many a year.
“It’s something special we’ll all savour. The celebrations in front of the fans were just ridiculous.”
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