Man City Champions League Shock Elimination
Manchester City fans have been left reeling after their team was eliminated from the Champions league after a shock defeat against outsiders, AS Monaco. By the time the final whistle blew, Pep Guardiola was bristling with anger, his rage palpable to both his players and the supporting fans at the other end of the pitch. It was a disaster for Man City, yet it could have been so different.
A Poor Performance from Man City
The first half of the game was less than impressive. The players failed to attack and were apathetic at best. Although Man City attacked with more conviction in the second half of the game, it wasn’t enough. The team lost 3:1 and was eliminated from the Champions League on away goals.
Manchester City is a strong side, but Monaco ran rings around them. At times, it almost felt like the Man City players were under siege from their opponents and it’s fair to say that Man City was outclassed on virtually every level.
“It’s My Fault” Says Guardiola
Man City’s boss, Pep Guardiola, has since blamed himself for the devastating defeat, telling reporters that he failed to convince his players to attack during the game. The defeated team arrived home dressed in black to signify their loss.
Man City Fans Distraught
In truth, Manchester City deserved their defeat and although the fans are justifiably upset at being thrown out of the Champion’s League, they did little to merit a win against an exciting young side like Monaco. Even Bacary Sgana admits the team lacked the killer instinct. He said the team forgot how to play as a team during the first half of the match. He told reporters that he and the other Manchester City players gave Monaco too much respect, instead of attacking from the outside and taking control of the game, they put themselves in danger.
These are tricky times ahead for Man City. They now have a next season Champions League qualifier game against Liverpool to look forward to. The stakes are high for both teams, as both of them need a win. Whether Man City can learn from their devastating loss against Monaco is questionable, but no doubt, Pep Guardiola will be giving them a strong motivational team talk in the dressing room prior to the game.
FA Cup Hope
If that fails, they still have a crack at the FA Cup, where not all is lost. Manchester City is currently in third place behind Chelsea in the FA Cup, so with a few good performances, they are still in with a chance if they get their speed skates on and fight to win.
It now seems likely that bosses will make some major changes to the Manchester City team in the summer. Several players’ contracts are coming up for renewal, so it’s likely that Pep Guardiola will be looking to shake things up. This will no doubt please the fans, who won’t want their beloved team to concede many more defeats at home or away.
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