Manchester City: 3 Key Takeaways from Wednesday’s Second Leg
By Larry Henry
After a strong showing in their first leg playoff round draw in Romania a week ago, Manchester City advanced to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League after a 1-0 victory on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
Thanks to a Sergio Aguero hat-trick, and goals from David Silva and Nolito, Pep Guardiola knew his side had a commanding aggregate lead going into their second leg match on Wednesday.
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Guardiola, opted to rest several key players in the reverse leg, while also starting Joe Hart in-goal for his first start of the season, and possibly last appearance for Manchester City.
John Stones started with Aleksandar Kolarov as the centerbacks, while Fabian Delph and Fernando started slightly above the back-line. Yaya Toure made his first appearance for City this season, while Jesus Navas, Nolito, and Kelechi Iheanacho rounded out the attacking threats.
After a slow first half that didn’t really see many offensive chances, Fabian Delph broke the 0-0 deadlock with a header in the 56th minute. It was the midfielder’s third goal for the club since joining from Aston Villa 13 months ago. Jesus Navas was given the assist after his cross was headed home.
A sign of concern for City occurred in the second half when Kelechi Iheanacho was stretchered off after pulling up limping when running for a loose ball. Depending on the length of the injury, we could see Wilfried Bony back in the squad as a precaution.
At the final whistle, Manchester City had a 1-0 victory on the evening and a 6-0 aggregate in the draw. It was a great sign of respect at the Etihad for Joe Hart as well, as he received plenty of cheers, applause, and best wishes. Hart’s future with the team looks pretty dim, even after Barcelona‘s Claudio Bravo was signed Wednesday for £15.4 million. According to BBC Sport, Pep Guardiola feels his side are ready for the Champions League. “We are ready for the Champions League. The players and club deserve it. We were the better team. It was not easy with 10 players behind the ball but in the second half we adjusted and attacked much better. The spirit was amazing. Now is a day to celebrate our qualification for the Champions League.”
Three Key Takeaways
Here are my three takeaways from the 1-0 victory on Wednesday evening:
1) Kelechi’s injury may force Bony back into squad.
After being the second forward on the team behind Sergio Aguero, Kelechi Iheanacho may be forced to sit out to recover from his injury. Wilfried Bony was looked to have been on the move in before the transfer window closes next Wednesday. Depending on the length of the injury, Guardiola may need to keep Bony for the start of the Champions League group-stage and the start of other cup competitions as well. It is highly doubtful City will sign another forward before Wednesday’s deadline, but this could easily rejuvenate Bony’s future with the club.
2) Joe Hart will be Manchester City forever.
He may not have featured as much as he wanted under Pep Guardiola, but Joe Hart will forever bleed Manchester baby blue. After 10 years with the club, it looks like his run with the team is over. Guardiola made Hart the captain on Wednesday, and he answered the call by keeping a clean sheet for what could be his last appearance in the City colors. Even though he had a dismal summer at the EURO’s, Hart has always been able to win Manchester City important games before. At 29-years-old, Hart got a hero’s sendoff at the Etihad last night and he deserved 100% of it.
3) John Stones signing paying off already.
After his £47.5 million move from Everton two weeks ago, John Stones looks very good so far under Guardiola. Yet he had little to do last night, he has partnered well with either Nicolas Otamendi or Aleksandar Kolarov. Overall, Stones will need some improvement as all players do. He is young, full of energy, and has a bright future and can definitely be the face of the back-line for years to come. I see Stones starting every match that he is fit for, just to get that strong partnership growing even more.
Next: Official: Manchester City sign goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, expected to start?
After qualifying for the group-stage in Europe, City will now rest and prepare themselves for a huge match in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday against West Ham United.