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Sergio Aguero, Joao Cancelo and Notable Stats for Manchester City from October
October 31, 2019
Manchester City posted five wins and one defeat across all competitions in October, featuring great returns for Sergio Aguero and an encouraging run of form for summer signing Joao Cancelo.
The Citizens suffered their first home defeat since December 2018 when Wolverhampton Wanderers won 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium, but wins in Europe and domestically have helped make up for that slip.
Pep Guardiola's side are six points off Premier League leaders Liverpool—one point more than they were on October 1—but the form of certain key players will lift the manager's spirits.
Here is a breakdown of the most important statistics for City from the month of October and a look at their essential performers.
Manchester City Season Stats (Premier League)
Goals: Sergio Aguero 8, Raheem Sterling 7, Bernardo Silva 4, Gabriel Jesus 3, David Silva 3, Kevin De Bruyne 2, Riyad Mahrez 2
Assists: Kevin De Bruyne 9, David Silva 4, Riyad Mahrez 3, Sergio Aguero 2, Bernardo Silva 2
Passes: Rodrigo 665, Nicolas Otamendi 532, Oleksandr Zinchenko 513, Ilkay Gundogan 511
Tackles: Rodrigo 21, Oleksandr Zinchenko 16, Bernardo Silva 14, Joao Cancelo 12, Raheem Sterling 12, Kevin De Bruyne 11
For the figures in full, visit the Premier League website.
October Review
The starting-striker role has been a point of discussion following Gabriel Jesus' recent run in the XI, with the Brazilian making direct goal contributions in back-to-back league wins over Crystal Palace (2-0, goal) and Aston Villa (3-0, assist).
Aguero, 31, marked his 350th appearance for City in style and put two past Southampton on Tuesday to prolong his side's Carabao Cup title defence, via Sky Sports:
Raheem Sterling impressed with another five goals in October, and he remains the club's top scorer this season with 13 in 14 games across all competitions (one goal every 83.5 minutes).
Aguero has been slightly more efficient in his strike rate and has amassed a similar tally despite making only 12 appearances across all competitions (one goal scored every 70.3 minutes).
The Argentinian might still hold a share of the Premier League's top-scorer title, too, were it not for Jamie Vardy's recent hat-trick when Leicester City trounced Southampton 9-0, per Goal:
City kept three clean sheets in six matches during October, and the team won both of their UEFA Champions League tests against Dinamo Zagreb (2-0) and Atalanta (5-1), both at home.
Cancelo may not look back on his full Premier League debut with fond memories, however, after his first start in England's top flight saw him lose 2-0 at home to Wolves thanks to an Adama Traore brace:
Cancelo has bounced back tremendously considering the damage that result could have done to his confidence.
BBC Sport's Simon Stone highlighted his full City bow seemed late given the efforts to sign him from Juventus (when Danilo moved in the opposite direction):
Guardiola previously spoke to reporters and addressed the time Cancelo needed to settle in at the Etihad:
“Because he arrived late, not in pre-season, so most of the things that we worked on in the past.
“In pre-season he was not there. What he did in the past with previous teams was completely different, so that is why he needed a little bit more time.
“But I think he is getting better. With the ball we don't have doubts, without the ball he starts to understand what we want, and he did it quite well in the games he has played."
The Portugal international is yet to register his first assist despite his reputation as an attacking wing-back, and it's actually his defensive strengths that have shone brightest thus far.
That Traore brace accounts for the only goals City have conceded in the five matches Cancelo has started for the club thus far. Not only that, but Cancelo is already joint-fourth in City's Premier League tackling charts this season (12), despite the fact he's started only three of their 10 top-flight games this term.
The 25-year-old leads City in average tackles per league game this season (2.4), per WhoScored.com, and the early signs suggest Kyle Walker will face stiff competition for the right-back spot.