Manchester City: Champions League run ends

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 10: Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City is seen in the stands after he is sent of by the referee during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on April 10, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images,) /

Giving Everything:

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Early on, Manchester City gave everything. You hoped it would be a good game when Raheem Sterling went shoulder to shoulder with Virgil van Dijk. The 5’7, 152lb Englishman got the best of a 6’4 203lb Belgiun.

City forced Liverpool back in their own half for most of that first 45, and had a perfectly good second goal ruled out. Had that gone in, so close to the half, who knows what might have been. Of course, critics point to the result after a 2-0 half-time lead against United. The truth is we will never know what impact that might have had.

The decision got Pep Guardiola so heated that he was sent to the stands for the second half. As a result, for that second period, City’s bench were motionless. No visible guidance, no direction and, as the team got tired, we fell apart.

Questions will have to be asked at the end of the season whether Pep had rotated the squad as much as he might have done. With the lead in the Premier League so vast for such a long period of time, could we have rested KDB, Fernandinho etc?

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