Exeter Blue I am here
Well-Known Member
We've been in the Champions League for 4 seasons now, and yet last night looked every bit as naïve and vulnerable as we did on our debut against Napoli in 2011.
Despite having been the best side in England over the course of those 4 seasons in terms of points accumulated and trophies won, our record against the most well known teams we have faced in Europe is little short of dire. In games against Munich, Madrid, Dortmund, Ajax, Napoli, Barcelona and Roma, we have mustered 2 wins, 5 draws and 9 defeats, and one of the wins was a dead rubber against a Munich 'B' team, and in one of the draws (Dortmund) we were outclassed from start to finish. And not once during the course of any of those fixtures have I felt confident that we would win, nor even that we were the better side.
Given that we have had two top class managers at our disposal during that period then, with very different motivational styles and philosophies, not to mention several players that would grace any side in the competition (Hart, Kompany, Ya Ya, Silva, Aguero), the question "Why have we been found wanting so consistently in this constable of a competition?" might at first glance look difficult to answer.
Mental fragility, consistently appalling refereeing, and managerial stubborness (certainly in the case of Pellegrini) have all played their part in our failure unquestionably, but for me the biggest problem is squad composition and the limited playing style that results from it. Put simply, we've got fuck all pace in the attacking, or middle, third (and indeed never have had during the Sheikh Mansour era), no-one who can take a ball past an opponent and then leave them for dead, we seldom counterattack effectively, and conversely we cannot press with any degree of conviction and get caught short-handed at the back as a matter of routine when the opposition does it (counterattacks) to us. Defensive organisation coupled with rapier like thrusts downfield are staples for most teams in Europe, and City with our methodical passing and probing, come gift-wrapped. We might as well hot foot it down to the lion's enclosure at Longleat with a bag of lamb chops tied round our necks and tether ourselves to a stake. To a degree it's the same story in the Premiership where the teams who have caused us most problems since 2011 have not been the rags, Spurs, the Arse or the Dippers, who come to the Etihad prepared to indulge us with an open game, but those who have espoused defensive discipline and mobility, and who have been sufficiently gifted technically to sting us at the other end; Southampton, Chelsea, Swansea, Everton (pre-Martinez). Fortunately they have been few in number.
I've watched a technically limited Celtic side cause Barcelona no end of problems with a terrier like press more than once, and I've watched Spurs (yes, fucking Spurs) sail through to the QF's, simply because they've had the attributes described above to hurt teams with. City though, whilst ostensibly having lots of shiny and expensive individual parts, just don't have the right balance of power and pace in that squad currently to be an effective force in Europe. If we play one up top, it means dropping either Kun or Dzeko, both scoring machines in the Premier League. If we play two up top, we risk being over-run in midfield, particularly if Ya Ya's in there, and if you drop Ya Ya you rob the team of its conductor. If you go for ball retention out wide in the shape of Nasri, you rob the team of impetus and defensive steel, if you go for Navas - a one dimensional touchline hugger - you accentuate the space inside for the opposition to pour into, and if you go for Milner, well his limitations at this level were amply demonstrated last night.
Run through the cast of strikers and midfielders, who have been at our disposal in this most modern of eras, and the lack of pace is a recurrent theme. We've had a smorgasbord of saunterers (Balotelli, Adebayor), those with no change of gear (Negredo, Dzeko, Robinho, Fernando, De Jong, Silva, Nasri, Milner, Tevez), and the out and out slow (Barry, Garcia, Johnson). Only Kun, who is nippy rather than quick, Ya Ya, who's a beast over 30 yards, but not built for shuttle running, Fernandinho and Navas, whose game is so one dimensional that he rarely utilises the one gift he does have, have bucked the trend. That's not a criticism by the way, because the other attributes of each and every one of those players have served us superbly, and domestically they have enabled us to rule the roost. Europe though is a different kettle of fish, and until we avail ourselves of a Sterling, a Sturridge, a Reus or a Bale perhaps, or failing that start sending out a 'team' rather than a collection of our most talented individuals - and it was telling that our best performance in this competition came courtesy of our artesans rather than our artistes - then our Champions League travails will not diminish one jot.
Despite having been the best side in England over the course of those 4 seasons in terms of points accumulated and trophies won, our record against the most well known teams we have faced in Europe is little short of dire. In games against Munich, Madrid, Dortmund, Ajax, Napoli, Barcelona and Roma, we have mustered 2 wins, 5 draws and 9 defeats, and one of the wins was a dead rubber against a Munich 'B' team, and in one of the draws (Dortmund) we were outclassed from start to finish. And not once during the course of any of those fixtures have I felt confident that we would win, nor even that we were the better side.
Given that we have had two top class managers at our disposal during that period then, with very different motivational styles and philosophies, not to mention several players that would grace any side in the competition (Hart, Kompany, Ya Ya, Silva, Aguero), the question "Why have we been found wanting so consistently in this constable of a competition?" might at first glance look difficult to answer.
Mental fragility, consistently appalling refereeing, and managerial stubborness (certainly in the case of Pellegrini) have all played their part in our failure unquestionably, but for me the biggest problem is squad composition and the limited playing style that results from it. Put simply, we've got fuck all pace in the attacking, or middle, third (and indeed never have had during the Sheikh Mansour era), no-one who can take a ball past an opponent and then leave them for dead, we seldom counterattack effectively, and conversely we cannot press with any degree of conviction and get caught short-handed at the back as a matter of routine when the opposition does it (counterattacks) to us. Defensive organisation coupled with rapier like thrusts downfield are staples for most teams in Europe, and City with our methodical passing and probing, come gift-wrapped. We might as well hot foot it down to the lion's enclosure at Longleat with a bag of lamb chops tied round our necks and tether ourselves to a stake. To a degree it's the same story in the Premiership where the teams who have caused us most problems since 2011 have not been the rags, Spurs, the Arse or the Dippers, who come to the Etihad prepared to indulge us with an open game, but those who have espoused defensive discipline and mobility, and who have been sufficiently gifted technically to sting us at the other end; Southampton, Chelsea, Swansea, Everton (pre-Martinez). Fortunately they have been few in number.
I've watched a technically limited Celtic side cause Barcelona no end of problems with a terrier like press more than once, and I've watched Spurs (yes, fucking Spurs) sail through to the QF's, simply because they've had the attributes described above to hurt teams with. City though, whilst ostensibly having lots of shiny and expensive individual parts, just don't have the right balance of power and pace in that squad currently to be an effective force in Europe. If we play one up top, it means dropping either Kun or Dzeko, both scoring machines in the Premier League. If we play two up top, we risk being over-run in midfield, particularly if Ya Ya's in there, and if you drop Ya Ya you rob the team of its conductor. If you go for ball retention out wide in the shape of Nasri, you rob the team of impetus and defensive steel, if you go for Navas - a one dimensional touchline hugger - you accentuate the space inside for the opposition to pour into, and if you go for Milner, well his limitations at this level were amply demonstrated last night.
Run through the cast of strikers and midfielders, who have been at our disposal in this most modern of eras, and the lack of pace is a recurrent theme. We've had a smorgasbord of saunterers (Balotelli, Adebayor), those with no change of gear (Negredo, Dzeko, Robinho, Fernando, De Jong, Silva, Nasri, Milner, Tevez), and the out and out slow (Barry, Garcia, Johnson). Only Kun, who is nippy rather than quick, Ya Ya, who's a beast over 30 yards, but not built for shuttle running, Fernandinho and Navas, whose game is so one dimensional that he rarely utilises the one gift he does have, have bucked the trend. That's not a criticism by the way, because the other attributes of each and every one of those players have served us superbly, and domestically they have enabled us to rule the roost. Europe though is a different kettle of fish, and until we avail ourselves of a Sterling, a Sturridge, a Reus or a Bale perhaps, or failing that start sending out a 'team' rather than a collection of our most talented individuals - and it was telling that our best performance in this competition came courtesy of our artesans rather than our artistes - then our Champions League travails will not diminish one jot.