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It isn’t a stretch to say every Manchester City attacking player put in a disappointing performance against Southampton on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side was held to a frustrating nil-all draw by the Saints. They failed to leave the St. Mary’s Stadium with the three points they needed in the bid to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
Looking at Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup for the match, James McAtee was given the opportunity to start. But he didn’t make an impact before being substituted at halftime. That’s becoming a theme for McAtee of late.
James McAtee couldn’t get into Saturday’s match at all.
Playing on the right wing and drifting centrally on Saturday, James McAtee couldn’t quite get into Saturday’s match. He was too often crowded out of the game. Southampton’s defensive set-up did contribute to this. There was no space for James McAtee to work in throughout the first half of Saturday’s match. McAtee did put in the odd dangerous cross, but really, the sum of his work wasn’t much against Southampton. He wasn’t alone on that front.
Pep Guardiola’s tactics for the first half of Saturday’s match didn’t help James McAtee. There was no width or urgency to City’s play while McAtee was on the pitch. That was costly as it allowed Southampton to grow into Saturday’s match. So James McAtee isn’t at fault for that.
James McAtee generally plays well when Manchester City are up and about.
Watching James McAtee play of late, it does appear that he’s a player who is at his best when Manchester City are up and about. He doesn’t seem to be the type of player who can lift his team. We have seen him score a hat-trick against Salford City in City’s 8-nil FA Cup third-round tie win over Salford City. He was also crucial in City’s 5-2 win over Crystal Palace in April. But those two performances came with Pep Guardiola’s side playing well. Perhaps that is who James McAtee is as a player.
James McAtee failed to impress against Southampton on Saturday. At times, that happens too often when McAtee starts. It’s an interesting topic to ponder, but perhaps James McAtee is a player who is at his best when Manchester City are up and about. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just may be who he is at this stage of his career.
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