India, Sept. 22 -- Man City finally produce an elite performance (but with a caveat)

THE STRAPLINE SCREAMS that Man City finally delivered a performance that was resilient, intense in spurts and born from something close to conviction. In Erling Haaland, they have, of course, a world-beating wildcard that need not be played every minute of a 90-minute game. All he needs is two touches. But the headline really should be the fact that Pep Guardiola's team commanded roughly 38 percent of possession in this heavyweight clash. Granted, they were away from home, but this is the least a Pep team has had over the course of his career. Onlookers have whispered rumours of a tactical shift, of a stylistic transition, but this was perhaps the cleare...