Manchester City struggled in the first half in their F.A. Cup match against Watford on Saturday, but the Citizens regrouped after the break and scored four goals in 30 minutes to advance. Bayern Munich have been the only opponent to walk away from the Etihad with three points this season, but Watford put in a great performance that nearly got the best of the Premier League's hottest club.
"I was very worried at half-time because I talked with the players a lot before the match and said that in the FA Cup, teams that play in a lower division have a lot of motivation," manager Manuel Pellegrini said after the win. "If you don’t play with 100% intensity and desire you can lose and go out of the competition and we were jogging in the first-half - if you play like that you can’t win."
The Citizens' back line was in shambles in the first half and they struggled in transition which led to Watford's quick start. Pellegrini made two key changes at the half by bringing on Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta after going down 2-0. The momentum quickly shifted after the break and Sergio Aguero made it known why he's one of the best strikers in the world.
The Argentinean's second half hat-trick sparked the Citizens' rally to advance to the next round. Pellegrini wasn't pleased with his club's first half performance, but he made sure to note that he wasn't underestimating the Sky Bet Championship side.
"I didn’t underestimate Watford, I didn’t think it would be easy and I told the team this. The players must not believe they have an easy game but I feel that they had a very good reaction in the second half," Pellegrini added. "We changed everything, we played with tempo, with pace. We continued playing in the same way we’ve played in this whole season at the Etihad."
The Manchester City skipper didn't plan on leaving Aguero on the pitch for more than "60 or 70 minutes," but he was left with no choice after the disastrous start in the first half. Aguero came through in the clutch, sealing the victory for the Citizens while remaining a threat for the quadruple.
Pellegrini also addressed the January transfer window and he didn't rule out a move, though he insisted it isn't the club's top priority.
"We’ll see what happens, deadline day is 31 January – it’s not our first concern but we’ll see what happens in the future," the Chilean manager explained. "I don’t have weak feelings about the team based on one half of football. It’s normal that the lower division team has a lot of motivation. But the reaction was there and we played a really good second half."
The Citizens will now move on to face Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Wednesday before a crucial matchup with Chelsea at the Etihad in just over a week. Can Manchester City continue their winning ways as tournament play reaches the final stages and the Premier League season heats up?
