Tightening Up is Crucial for Man City to Avoid Repeating Champions League History

It seems fortuitous,” said a manager who is accustomed to maintaining control, reducing reliance on chance. Manchester City pulled off a remarkable win, coming back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-2 victory under Pep Guardiola. This isn’t the first time, though. They achieved a similar feat when they clinched the Premier League title on the final day of the 2021-22 season. When they replicated this comeback against RB Leipzig, Guardiola attributed the subdued start to the game’s context. “I am certain that if we needed to win to qualify, our performance would have been different,” he stated.

This wasn’t an isolated incident. Guardiola referenced a managerial career-first, the 4-4 draw with Chelsea. He described it as an unorthodox occurrence. “Conceding four goals against Chelsea and [two] today isn’t something that’s happened before,” he pointed out. Moreover, the first 4-4 draw in his managerial career was an anomaly. He admitted that while the scoreline at Stamford Bridge remains singular, other factors need to be considered.

In the Premier League, Andre Onana has more clean sheets than Ederson. Across all competitions, City has only secured two shutouts in their last 12 games. In the Champions League, they’ve managed only one clean sheet in five matches, despite facing teams they shouldn’t have conceded against during the group stage. Many of the goals against them have common threads: being caught on the break. Leipzig exploited this, with Lois Openda scoring his third goal against City this season.

There were notable details, including individual errors. Guardiola reflected, “We’re all humans, these things happen.” Nevertheless, Akanji’s mistake in allowing Openda to breach the defense for the opener, followed by a series of mishaps that led to Openda’s second goal, highlighted lapses in their defensive line.

These errors are starkly different from City’s Champions League victories. In the knockout stages, they only conceded three goals in seven games, and five goals in 13 matches overall. This season, they have already conceded five goals without facing teams on the caliber of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, or Inter Milan.

It appeared that City had resolved their historical vulnerability to counter-attacks. Guardiola’s City has often struggled against speed on the break, as seen in encounters with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and various Tottenham lineups. Openda falls under the category of high-speed attackers who can trouble City, despite other quick players being neutralized when City is at its best.

Current issues can be attributed to individual mistakes, players falling short of form, and a search for chemistry and cohesion. The absence of key figures like Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan, combined with the lack of control-orientated players, can make City more susceptible to counter-attacks.

Last season, John Stones played a pivotal role as a defensive midfielder. Although he has made few appearances this season, City has kept clean sheets in two of the five games in which he started and had not conceded when he was substituted in a third. A fully fit Stones could provide the composure they seek.

City is currently conceding an average of one goal per game in each of the five competitions they have played this season. While this may seem like a reasonable record, it also underscores their ability to tighten up. Otherwise, the cautions from past seasons and European exits will continue to weigh heavily on them.