Manchester City’s poor form across competitions has continued into a 10th game as Pep Guardiola’s side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Juventus in the UEFA Champions League.
Guardiola’s team fell to 22nd in the Champions League table following a humbling evening at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, after two second-half goals pushed City further away from direct qualification into the knock-out rounds with only two games left.
The Blues dominated possession but could not find their way past a rigid Juventus defence, with Jeremy Doku leading the attack and appearing most threatening with his compelling footwork. However, his crosses – despite their quality – rarely met anyone in a blue shirt.
Kevin De Bruyne created City’s first real chance, setting the ball into the path of Erling Haaland, who saw Michele Di Gregorio deny him an opening goal by raising a hand mid-fall to direct the ball away from goal.
The second half saw Juventus take the lead through Dusan Vlahovic. Ederson, who returned to the team for the Champions League fixture, had deflected a previous effort from Federico Gatti. However, a poor clearance allowed Vlahovic to finish through a close-range header.
The Italian side would soon double their lead through substitutes Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie, who combined forces to punish Manchester City on a break. McKennie found plenty of space inside the City box and scored Juventus’ second with an emphatic volley.
Although City seemed to be trying to get on the scoresheet, their efforts were far from convincing and the hosts managed to see out the game with a clean sheet and Guardiola’s continued troubles were once again exposed.
A seventh defeat in 10 games was laden with causes that have been repeatedly discussed since late October and in addition to City’s weakened position in European competition, Guardiola has another massive challenge fast approaching with the visit of Manchester United next.
Prior to the weekend’s Manchester derby, and after the defeat to the Italian giants on Wednesday night, here are Five Things We Learned from Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat against Juventus in the Champions League.
Erling Haaland misses, again
City’s frontman’s struggles in front of goal is no longer news. The Norwegian has struggled to score, missing several big chances.
So far, Erling Haaland has improved his game dropping deep, but opponents’ strategy to suffocate him with marking, and the team’s overall diminished attacking form has explained, and potentially made up for, his poor form. But how long will that continue?
Kevin De Bruyne orchestrated one of Manchester City’s few good chances against Juventus with a direct ball to Haaland, who was up against an anxious Michele Di Gregorio away from his line.
The striker chipped the ball but it was pushed away by the Juventus goalkeeper, who raised his hand in the nick of time. The missed opportunity to get on the scoresheet appears worse when it took the Blues half an hour into the game to register their first shot at goal.
Haaland shoulders a massive responsibility for City, and he might be the most frustrated with his recent failures in front of the net. That said, there has never been a higher urgency for him to dig deep and revive his goal-scoring prowess.
Recurring themes in an ageing squad
Kyle Walker’s mistakes led to City conceding goals, Ilkay Gundogan was slow in tracking back but made a decent shot attempt, counter-attacks blew the Blues’ defence wide open, and the entire attack collectively failed to produce good chances.
There is no denying their quality, but most of the players look a shadow of their former selves, and at this point, the aforementioned flaws in the Blues’ games are repeated so often in post-match analysis that it is equivalent to lore.
Juventus were disciplined in their defence, which prevented Manchester City from capitalising despite having the lion’s share of possession, whilst the right flank was easy to exploit, as has been the case and one of the biggest factors leading to their recent defeats.
Pep Guardiola’s side is being punished for the club’s smugness in the summer transfer window in particular, and the need for a rebuild looks more and more like the utmost priority.
Pep Guardiola’s forgotten warning
“Work harder, work better, be humble, be ambitious. Otherwise… the academy is ready.”
Pep Guardiola was spotted firing the above warning at this team in City’s Together: Treble Winners docu-series that aired on Netflix, and the Catalan tactician had a clear agenda to play the academy talents should he feel the need.
Of course, it was directed at combatting poor attitudes, and it might be time to bring that warning into action.
Between the injuries, an awful run of form, repetitive mistakes, and a potentially clouded mental battle, Pep Guardiola has enough reasons to experiment with the academy players.
Given their recent performances, City may soon be forced to make peace with a slipping season. If all are allowed to try their best to turn things around when trailing 2-0 behind, academy talents could be brought on to test their skills and luck.
Jeremy Doku presents a burning optimism
Except for Kevin De Bruyne, City only have one other positive to take away from their offensive play against Juventus, and that is Jeremy Doku.
The winger started the game on the left and had a few promising moments, troubling his man while driving the attack up-front. However, little translated into the final play despite the promising runs.
Optimism often grows weary when evidence of turning times comes far and few in between. Although Doku looked bright on the left, he struggled to replicate a similar chemistry with Jack Grealish in midfield, as seen between the duo in City’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
At times, there was a little too much from Jeremy Doku and not enough from Jack Grealish, which allowed Juventus defenders to shut down their link-ups quickly.
The Manchester Derby and declaration of intent
City have found themselves deep in trouble following their latest loss, considering they have an enormous showdown scheduled for their next match. Pep Guardiola and his team face a tough challenge on Sunday when 13th-placed Manchester United will desperately look for three points in a bid to climb into the top half of the Premier League table.
United have two losses, two wins, and a draw in their last five Premier League matches compared to Manchester City’s three losses, one win, and one draw.
Neither side can be considered a realistic favoirite to win the upcoming Manchester derby at the Etihad, though most City players are probably aware that they will not get a better chance to showcase a potential turnaround– or at least an intention to keep fighting.
The side could use a reminder that this coming Sunday, a potential defeat caused by misplaced passes, defensive blunders, and maddening substitutions may be forgotten in due time. But the home crowd will dub any sign of complacency against the Red Devils an unforgivable derby day sin.