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For all the focus on Manchester City's defending, Pep Guardiola continues to fret about his side's finishing. Does he have a point? Adam Bate takes a look.
Pep Guardiola could hardly have been clearer in his assessment in May. "We don't score enough goals," he said. "The numbers do not lie, we have not been good enough in the boxes this season. Apart from one game, at White Hart Lane, I cannot remember a match where we did not create more chances than the other side. The others, no chance.
"Even the next champions, Chelsea, we create more chances here [at the Etihad Stadium] than even at Stamford Bridge, but in the boxes we are not good. We are the best in the league at doing that, we create more chances than anyone, but we are not always able to score the goals. In basketball you see Michael Jordan, last minute, puts it in the net."
For Sergio Aguero's admirers, and there are many at Manchester City, the club's own Jordan figure is already present and correct. Their greatest goalscorer and the scorer of their greatest goal. That Gabriel Jesus is rivalling City's hero for a place in the starting line-up only underlines the strength in attack. And yet, Guardiola is not close to being satisfied.
That much was apparent following the first home game of the current campaign. A 1-1 draw against Everton, secured after being a goal down with 10 men, was no disaster. And yet, Guardiola still could not shake the feeling that wastefulness in front of goal had cost City yet again. "We created the chances in the first half but we did not finish them," he said.
"We created chances before their goal. Three or four. Our amount of opportunities on target or close to target was good, we were there all the time but we never gave up. All you can do is try to create the chances. Maybe one day it will change. I think last season we were the team who made the most chances."
According to Opta, Guardiola is correct. City had 101 clear-cut chances last season. Next on that list was Tottenham with 86. In terms of 'expected goals' - regarded by analysts as a more accurate reflection of the quality of a team's chances than actual goals converted - City were the strongest side in the Premier League last season. In short, they did a lot right.
The team's defending came under serious scrutiny but the suspicion remains that Guardiola is more concerned by the lack of efficiency in the opposition box. After all, City have let in only two goals in their first three Premier League games of this season. It is the failure to convert that cost them against Everton and threatened to do so at Bournemouth too.
City have had more possession of the ball than any other team and more touches in the opposition box than anyone else as well. Guardiola will feel that the team's pattern of play is succeeding in getting the ball into the right areas. The problem is that, once there, City have once again missed the most clear-cut chances of any team in the Premier League.
The strikers are not the only ones to blame but they can hardly be excused. On the opening weekend, Aguero and Jesus missed two fantastic opportunities apiece as City equalled their record for most clear chances missed in a Premier League game under Guardiola. Aguero did net with 20 minutes to play but found himself on the bench for the next away game.
That is still a source of bemusement for some but perhaps Guardiola could be forgiven for feeling he has not seen enough of the unerring finishing for which Aguero is famed. Indeed, unlike, say, Harry Kane or even Romelu Lukaku, Aguero has actually missed more clear-cut chances than he has scored over the past three seasons
It has been particularly noticeable in the key moments. There were costly misses home and away to Monaco as City exited the Champions League, while even Jurgen Klopp was amazed by Aguero's wastefulness against Liverpool in March, ballooning a late shot over the bar. Had City won they would have been level with Tottenham with 10 to play.
Liverpool return to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in good form and all looks set up for another classic encounter as the old Bundesliga coaches renew their rivalry. Once again Guardiola will back his team to create chances. Once again he will be stood on the touchline wondering whether those chances will be taken.
