Three Key Takeaways: Mistakes cost Citizens in 4-0 UCL defeat at Barcelona
By Larry Henry
Mistakes and lack of concentration cost Manchester City on Wednesday as they fell 4-0 against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the UEFA Champions League.
In Pep Guardiola‘s return to the Camp Nou for the first time as Manchester City boss, a lot was expected of his club on Matchday #3 of the European competition. After a 1-1 league draw vs Everton last Saturday in the EPL, MCFC were winless in their last three matches in all competitions.
Sergio Aguero was a rare omission in the starting line-up, while Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nolito all featured in attacking roles. John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi were selected as the starting center-back duo while Ilkay Gundogan started in midfield.
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Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez all started in attack for Barcelona while Ivan Rakitic, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets featured in the midfield.
Manchester City pressured Barcelona early and were able to force turnovers from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. However, a mental lapse by Fernandinho inside his own box after 17 minutes handed the hosts a 1-0 lead after Leo Messi slotted home his 87th career Champions League goal. The Brazilian slipped before clearing the ball which allowed Messi the opportunity.
John Stones had the visitors best chance of the first half, but failed to get his header just before halftime on-target. Barcelona were forced to make two substitutions after both Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique picked up injuries.
After halftime, things got worse for Manchester City as goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. He was sent off after handling the ball outside of the box. The Chilean needlessly tried saving Luis Suarez’s shot after being caught in no-mans-land. Eight minutes later, Leo Messi doubled Barcelona’s lead after his left-footed shot found the bottom right-hand corner.
Messi would later make it 3-0 in the 69th minute after slotting home his third goal of the match past Willy Caballero. Barcelona sub Jeremy Mathieu was sent off in the 73rd minute after picking up a second yellow card.
Caballero made a nice save in the 87th minute on Neymar from the penalty spot after Messi won a penalty. Aleksandar Kolarov was the guilty party who tripped the Argentine inside the box. However, two minutes later Neymar curled home Barcelona’s fourth goal to stamp the match at 4-0.
It was a poor performance by Manchester City on the road who made crucial mistakes against a world-class side. Barcelona led in possession 53%-47%, spoiling Pep Guardiola’s homecoming with his new club.
It was also a nightmare homecoming for Claudio Bravo, whose sending off opening the floodgates for Barcelona against 10-men City.
Following the match, here are my three key takeaways from MCFC’s defeat at the Camp Nou.
1.) Mistakes COST MCFC against Barcelona.
Barcelona were the better side on Wednesday, and it showed after 90+ minutes. Manchester City were able to force some saves out of Marc-Andre ter Stegen but overall some crucial mistakes cost the Citizens. Fernandinho slipped in possession inside his own box to gift Barcelona the opener. Claudio Bravo needlessly came out of his box to make a play and it backfired. Kevin De Bruyne was forced into a turnover to hand Messi his hat-trick goal. This was not the expected Manchester City and it needs to be fixed going forward before the wheels continue to fall off.
2.) City’s attacking needs to be better in final-third.
Manchester City had opportunities to score but they didn’t take the most of their chances. A lot of the time, City had to settle for a corner or a long-range effort. Barcelona’s defending was not at its best, but it did the job at the end of the day. Players like David Silva, KDB, Nolito, and Raheem Sterling need to pull the trigger when they have an opportunity. The team cannot expect to waltz through teams and score easy goals, and they need to take their chances if they want to win.
3.) Pep needs to stop the bleeding on Sunday!
Manchester City have now drawn two and loss two in their last four in all comps. Sunday, the Citizens host Southampton in the EPL and Pep Guardiola needs his side to earn three points. After dropping points in Europe and in England, City need to win to avoid more pressure on the club. Whether the tactics or strategy needs to be changed, something needs to be done for the team to be successful and get back to business.
Next: Manchester City vs Barcelona: Combined Starting XI
With Borussia Monchengladbach‘s 2-0 victory at Celtic, Manchester City are only one point ahead of the German side in the group table. City will host Barcelona on November 1st on Matchday #4 at the Etihad in their next European encounter. Prior to that, City host Southampton at the Etihad on Sunday as they return to Premier League play.