Champions League Troubles: Manchester City on Thin Ice
Following a disappointing match against Ligue One front-runner Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City finds themselves in trouble in the UEFA Champions League. With only the top 24 teams qualifying further in the competition, Manchester City is in 25th, one spot below where they need to be. Wednesday is the last match day and the last chance for the team to make it to the Round of 16. With Manchester City barely having eight points in the Champions League, they have to win their match, a tie will not be enough. Next week, the Manchester team plays against Belgian team Club Brugge, who also is desperate for a win to remain in the competition.
Yesterday against PSG, all seemed to be going well for Manchester City when they returned to the pitch after halftime and immediately scored two goals. However, their 2-0 lead quickly disappeared. Paris Saint Germain tied with the English team in under 10 minutes. The game continued with PSG scoring two more goals on Manchester City, with a final score of 4-2. Beyond just the Champions League, this season has not been good for the Manchester team. Manchester City is in fifth place in the Premier League right now, 12 points behind first-place team Liverpool. At the start of the season, Manchester City started on a troubling low, with Pep Guardiola’s tactics leaving them on a losing streak. Although the team has been doing better lately, their chances of winning either the Champions League or taking home the Premier League title are slim.
However, Manchester City should focus now on their game against Club Brugge. Since Erling Haaland, who just extended his contract at City, plays consistently as the team’s current top-scorer, Guardiola should start him in the match. Alongside Haaland should be Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, especially since Grealish scored the first goal against PSG after only four minutes in the game. With the three forwards working together, Manchester City will have a young and strong front line focusing on scoring together. Since Club Brugge will also put their best foot forward, Manchester City must focus on their defense to ensure that Club Brugge doesn’t get the upper hand. Currently, Manchester City’s defense is in shambles, with the team focused completely on scoring and not on defending, Guardiola needs to focus on defensive tactics rather than only offense. Overall, Manchester City’s future in the Champions League is on thin ice, all eyes are on the match against Club Brugge to see if the blues of Manchester will be sent packing by the Belgian team.
