None of those, actually and some posters using the defeat to have a dig at the usual scapegoats frankly make me laugh.
That Harvertz goal would have never happened with Fernandinho or Rodri on the pitch, and by letting them on the bench, Pep not only weakened his defense but also his attack.
He tied up Gundogan, who's not a defensive midfielder, forcing him to stay deeper thus having less influence on the game and cut off the defense from the attack, making the transitions ponderous, hazardous even, and constantly exposing the back four to Chelsea's counter-attacks. I've rarely seen you so disjointed.
I still can't fathom why he chose the most important game of the season, a one-off at that, to mess with a proven, league winner, starting XI. The system with the false 9 worked perfectly. The players had their habits, routines and partnerships. Everyone knew what they had to do on the pitch. The second leg against PSG should've put to bed any discussion about who's going to start, except maybe Fernandinho/Rodri. So why for the love of God, change that? Why not simply play your football?
I honestly thought that he would rectify his mistake at half-time, yet he persisted until one hour has passed and with this Chelsea team known for being a tough nut to crack, it was too little, too late. I said before the game that it was vital for you to get the first goal. By the time Fernandinho came on the damage was already done and Chelsea had a huge psychological advantage. Combined that with their well organized team and Kanté in the midfield and you just know that that one goal would be enough.
This Man City team had enough to see Chelsea through, even if it was never going to be easy. Talking about mentality, lack of striker or lack of leadership is simply shifting the problem. It's really heartbreaking, because I wanted Pep and this team to win the CL and put a definitive stamp on this footballing era.
Seems we'll have to wait a bit more.
