After losing in Paris on Wednesday, Manchester City will have to defeat Club Bruges next week in order to qualify for the Champions League playoffs.
The 2023 European champions face a humiliating elimination as Pep Guardiola’s team lost a two-goal lead in a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
After yet another night of suffering on the continent, City would be eliminated before the knockout stages if they lose against the Belgians, who are now ranked 25th in the 36-team standings.
Guardiola acknowledged that his team was physically unable to compete with Luis Enrique’s PSG after they were overpowered in a hostile environment. Additionally, the manager asserted that they cannot compete with the best teams.
“They had better intensity to win duels, and we suffered,” Guardiola remarked. “We struggle in the big teams and on the big stages.” We must come to terms with it.
“This is our final opportunity to defeat Bruges.” It’s because we don’t deserve it if we don’t do it.
City has lost nine of the games they have led thus far this season, more than any other Premier League team. In three of the last four European games, leads have been blown.
Guardiola thinks that the frequent defensive issues stem from a lack of midfield control, as City seemed uneasy after PSG’s first goal. Before the transfer window ends, they still want to sign a new midfield player.
“We can’t play well unless we defend with the ball,” he continued. “The extra pass, keep the ball.” We were unable to complete the process because of the poor or impossible connection with Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic. I experimented, but we were unable to maintain the ball.
Ruben Dias requested to be substituted at halftime due to yet another injury complaint, according to Guardiola. City will have to wait anxiously to find out the full extent of this before their Saturday match against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
Jack Grealish, who scored the first goal, agreed with the City manager that their dangerous position in the competition is due to home draws with Feyenoord and Inter.
“We’re usually so good in these moments,” Grealish remarked. We’ve been ahead by one, two, or even three goals against Feyenoord too many times this season, but we haven’t been able to maintain control and finish the game.
It’s strange since we’ve managed the game so well in these situations in every previous season. We know that we weren’t really performing at the levels we know we can for the majority of this season, especially before Christmas, so I’m not sure if it’s a confidence issue.
However, it is up to us to attempt to alter that going forward. When we lead by two goals, we have a lot of players on the field who are excellent with the ball and at holding onto it. However, we haven’t been doing that lately, and we are responsible for it.