A viral clip has left fans scratching their heads as four Manchester City players were seen missing penalties against an empty net during training on Tuesday afternoon. Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Ilkay Gundogan were all seen ballooning either over the bar or wide of the goal during the pre-Champions League session.
Pep Guardiola's side have recently found their footing after a challenging run of seven winless games, snapping the streak with a commanding 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. They followed that up with a resilient draw against Crystal Palace, showcasing their determination to rebuild momentum. Next, they face a pivotal Champions League clash against Juventus on Wednesday evening, aiming to showcase their bouncebackability on the European stage.
However, a recent training video ahead of the midweek showdown has raised eyebrows, suggesting that tougher challenges may lie ahead. Rival fans were quick to mock the footage of seemingly wasteful penalty attempts, but it turns out there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
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Reason Behind Man City's Awful Penalties During Training
There was a method to the madness
Pep Guardiola
When the footage first made waves online, City fans were advised to avert their eyes. The 30-second clip, at first glance, appears chaotic—an almost fitting reflection of the club’s current turmoil both on and off the pitch. With the shadow of 130 FFP breach charges looming large and a string of underwhelming Premier League performances leaving them eight points off the top spot, the video seemed to encapsulate their struggles to shift focus away from mounting pressures.
It turns out, however, that football Twitter once again exaggerated the situation, as the Daily Mail revealed the players weren't actually involved in a penalty shootout. Instead, they were participating in a crossbar challenge, with Haaland coming closest by hitting the upper part of the post with his final shot.
This will surely calm the nerves of City fans who are hoping to claim bragging rights in Sunday's derby against Manchester United. If the match is tied after 90 minutes, it won’t be decided by the lottery of a shootout, but Tuesday's training mishaps shouldn't be a cause for concern anyway.