David Silva scored as City came from a goal behind to draw with the struggling German side as both teams were reduced to 10 men early in the second half
Manchester City secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League after a hard-fought draw with Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday night.
Last season's semi-finalists knew a win was needed to keep their slim hopes of finishing above Barcelona alive but struggled to break down the German side as their defensive frailties showed again.
Pep Guardiola 's men went behind midway through the first half when Lars Stindl outmuscled John Stones to latch onto a long ball over the top, before pulling it back for Raffael to hammer home.
City could have fallen further behind in a sloppy first-half display but instead snatched an equaliser in stoppage time, Kevin de Bruyne pulling the ball back for David Silva to finish.
Both sides had a man sent off in the opening 20 minutes of the second period with Stindl and Fernandinho leaving the field for two bookable offences.
At 10 v 10 neither side could break the deadlock and City will finish second in Group C.
1. City’s defence is still all over the place
Jon Stones was at fault for yet another goal tonight as he was easily overpowered by Lars Stindl in the build up to the opener.
Impossible to imagine that happening to Vincent Kompany but that’s a different problem all together.
They were also lucky not to go 2-0 down after Claudio Bravo rolled the ball straight to the opposition and had to pull off some heroics to save his blushes.
Pep Guardiola certainly has a lot to think about as far as his defence is concerned.
2. Guardiola doesn't have a favoured formation
While the Manchester City manager has proved he is a master of making changes on the fly, even his players seem unsure of where they should be playing.
Guardiola started with three at the back and his side looked incredibly vulnerable, moving to a back four - with Fernandinho at centre back - after almost conceding a second.
At the other end seven midfielders seemed to be getting in the way of each other most of the time and despite all the attacking talent on display there was nobody in the box to get on the end of crosses.
3. Wrap KDB up in cotton wool
While this wasn't vintage City it was clear Kevin de Bruyne was going to be at the centre of anything good for the visitors.
They've struggled without the Belgian in the past and they'll need him in top form if they're going to go far in this competition.
His movement was excellent for David Silva's goal and he was sensational against Barcelona. He just needs his teammates to make the runs and he will find them.
4. City facing tough test in the last 16
With Barcelona beating Celtic in Glasgow City are almost guaranteed a very tough tie in the last 16.
Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Dortmund could all be potential opponents with Napoli and Monaco also looking like potential group-toppers.
This display against a weakened Gladbach supports Guardiola’s argument that his side are not one of the favourites for the competition and none of those potential ties look easy at the moment.
5. Gladbach are much better than their league position suggests
Despite missing Thorgan Hazard, among others, the German side looked much better than their 13th position in the Bundesliga suggests.
Raffael clearly has great quality and the the pace of Fabian Johnson is a real threat.
Mahmoud Dahoud, who has attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool, also looked good in midfield before being substituted.
They will certainly be a side to look out for in the Europa League.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário