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Manchester City’s incredible form slump has continued with a 2-0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League, while Arsenal and Barcelona stayed on course for the knockout stages with wins.
Cith have won just once in 10 games – including seven losses – after slumping 2-0 in Italy and are in real peril of missing the KO stages with a visit to Paris Saint-Germain up next on the penultimate match day.
Dusan Vlahovic’s header and Weston McKennie’s stunning volley secured the points for Juve, boosting their own hopes of progressing automatically to the next stage as one of the top eight sides in the league phase of the competition.
But the defeat left Pep Guardiola’s City in 22nd place with just two games remaining – away to Paris St-Germain at home to Club Brugge.
The sides finishing ninth to 24th qualify for a two-legged play-off but this defeat leaves Manchester City just one point clear of PSG in 25th.
The Premier League champions have completely lost their way in the past two months with the worst-ever run in Guardiola’s career.
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“It’s a massive test for him. I think he’s got to go to youth,” said former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich on Stan Sport.
“I remember watching one of those specials that they had on Manchester City and he threatened the team: ‘I’ve got the kids in the academy, they’re ready.’
“It’s time to throw some of them in and to basically give a kick up the backside to some of those players who are just not, at the crucial moments, performing like we know that they can.
“We know about the structural issues with the Rodri injury. But a lot of these instances are happening over and over again. They’re all completely different mistakes that were occurring to concede goals.
“That’s one win in 10 games. This is beyond a crisis. It’s amazing.”
Star striker Erling Haaland wasted his only clear chance while Guardiola got a reminder of one he let leave when Julian Alvarez helped Atletico Madrid down Slovan Bratislava 3-1 with a brilliant goal.
Antoine Griezmann scored Atletico’s other two goals at Estadio Metropolitano as the Spanish team strengthened their ambitions of a top-eight finish in the revamped competition to avoid the need for a playoff to get into the last 16.
Alvarez opened the scoring in the 16th minute by curving a right-footed shot into the top corner from just inside the area for his 12th goal of the season, and his fourth in the Champions League.
Atletico signed the Argentina striker from City in August in a deal worth more than $US100 million. While Alvarez is thriving for his new club, his old one is struggling – not helped by having few proven scorers, like Alvarez, in its squad.
“The saddest thing about Manchester City tonight is ‘are you really shocked?’ I’m not completely shocked,” said former international Pat Nevin on BBC radio.
“The way they have been playing recently, the tiredness, we know about the injuries, playing players he’d rather rest.
“At the moment it’s just hell on hell for Manchester City supporters. They look to me like a team that is not capable of doing it at the intensity they need to do it, at the top level to win these games week after week.”
### Saka show as Arsenal move third
Bukayo Saka scored twice and assisted the third in a 3-0 home win over Monaco that put the Gunners in third behind Liverpool and Barcelona – 3-2 winners at Borussia Dortmund.
The Gunners should have been out of sight at halftime but went in leading 1-0 and faced some nervy moments before turning on the power in the final stages.
Arsenal took the lead in the 34th minute after Myles Lewis–Skelly played in Gabriel Jesus and the Brazilian crossed for Saka to tap in.
Kai Havertz forced a mistake from keeper Radoslaw Majecki in the 74th minute and Saka steered in from close range and the pair combined again two minutes from time when Havertz turned in a Saka attempt.
Gabriel Jesus, who has one goal in 32 games, was denied twice by Majecki when through on goal while Martin Odegaard shot wide after going clean through.
Meanwhile substitute Ferran Torres scored twice including an 85th-minute winner as Barcelona earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday to move to the brink of qualification.
In a pulsating five-goal second half, Torres struck twice in 10 minutes after coming on in the 71st minute to lift Barcelona to 15 points in second place with two games remaining in the league phase.
Dortmund twice came from a goal down with Serhou Guirassy scoring both their goals but they could not do it a third time after Torres’s goal from a Lamine Yamal pass.
The Germans dropped down to ninth place on 12 points. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the round of 16.