Gary Neville praised Bryan Gil for showing the composure and confidence to turn near Tottenham’s own box in the build-up to the away side’s opener.
Gil kept his place in the starting eleven after his promising showing against Aston Villa but the Spaniard struggled to influence the game at the Etihad Stadium and was replaced by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at half-time.
However, the winger again showed some glimpses of his quality on the ball, not least in the build-up to Tottenham’s opening goal.
When Spurs cleared a corner to the edge of the box on six minutes, instead of clearing the ball, Gil controlled it and turned his man before sending Dejan Kulusevski away on the left.
The Swede then played a cross-field pass which Son Heung-min ran onto, with Ederson unable to keep out the South Korean’s rasping shot from a tight angle.
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Bryan Gil receives praise for bravery on the ball
Neville praised Gil for showing the composure to take a couple of extra touches instead of booting the ball clear.
The pundit, who was commentating on the game, said on Sky Sports’ broadcast (03/12/23): “There’s a day gone by when that ball comes to the edge of the box and Gil just sweeps it clear.
“He takes a risk on the edge of his box, but that risk has paid off and his team have scored a goal. It was a lovely little twist and turn.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Gil did very well for that goal but if there is one criticism of the Spaniard’s general pay, it is that he does not always have a picture of what is around him. The 22-year-old dribbles with his head down a lot and often takes a lot more touches than he needs to.
Both against Villa and City, he failed to release Udogie and other runners at the right time, choosing instead to twist and turn with the ball and in the process, needlessly playing himself into a tight area.
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