The Argentinian striker may not have scored against Barcelona but Pep Guardiola would have been delighted by his relentless all-round game
Sergio Agüero dominated the fallout from Manchester City’s defeat in Barcelona without setting foot on the pitch for 79 minutes and he eclipsed Lionel Messi in the return at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night without getting on the scoresheet. The reaction of City’s gifted Argentinian was everything Pep Guardiola desired and demanded on their landmark victory in the Champions League.
The final touch eluded Agüero against Luis Enrique’s spell-binding yet defensively fragile team but, strangely for an outstanding goalscorer, that kept the focus on where the striker needed it most. His work rate, movement and creativity have all been brought into question since Guardiola made a tactical decision to omit his leading forward against Barcelona a fortnight ago.
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