City 2 - 0 Leicester: What Did We NOT Learn?

City got the job done against a Leicester team that was largely up for the challenge at the Etihad. In a way, though, it felt like the win raised more questions than it provided answers. So instead of the usual rundown of what we learned from the match, here are some burning questions resulting from today’s action.

1. Squad changes: rest or real change?

The narrative created by Manuel Pellegrini’s decision to keep Vincent Kompany on the bench was unavoidable from the moment the announcement was made, and you can’t blame fans and media alike for making his day off the pre-match story. But was the decision to bench Kompany merely one to rest the captain in a midweek fixture against the team at the bottom of the table, or was it one based on performance?

On one hand, Kompany’s shaky play certainly hasn’t been worthy of consistent inclusion in the squad. On the other, Pellegrini also rested Edin Dzeko for all but the final few minutes of the match in spite of the fact that Dzeko has been performing admirably in recent matches. Given recent criticism of Pellegrini’s stubborn mentality, a potential willingness to make change for change’s sake could be a step in the right direction, as unlikely as it would seem to some.

We’ll know for sure when Pellegrini is asked about the moves, but there are certainly reasons to believe either side of the equation.

2. Should City keep Kompany on the bench?

Naturally, in the absence of Vincent Kompany, a back four anchored in the center by Demichelis and Mangala kept a clean sheet, which will only make the questions surrounding Kompany grow louder. The clean sheet was just the second kept by City since Christmas time and, while it wasn’t without a few threats from an admirable Leicester, it was still better than the vast majority of the team’s recent defensive efforts with Kompany on the field.

So should Pellegrini continue to stick with a central defensive duo of Demichelis and Mangala, or would that be an overreaction based on too small a sample size?

3. When will Bony's first goal arrive?

Wilfried Bony looked great at times today for City in his ability to move into threatening attacking positions. He did not, however, look great at finishing once those opportunities were presented to him. Is that a concern for a City team that has become known for racking up tons of possession without being able to capitalize on it with goals at times?

At the end of the day, this probably isn’t a big deal. The goals will come eventually, so long as Bony continues to move well without the ball to get himself into scoring positions. But, with the second leg with Barcelona right around the corner, it’d be nice to see him net one in time for what could be the only meaningful game left in City’s season.

Surely you have your own questions or takeaways from today’s match, so fire away below.