Fans Perspective: Manchester City well beaten by Lyon

For the first time in modern history UEFA made a change in the rules surrounding the Champions League which was designed to benefit the fans.

The rules governing the sale of alcohol to fans at Champions League matches were lifted for the 2018/19 season and it was an unusual experience as fans realised rather than just paying £3 for a small coke they could now pay £3.80 for an acceptable pint of John Smiths Bitter.

Of course this change was designed to benefit the fans but several times during the game I was left wondering whether in fact the players had taken advantage of the rule change and were drunk.

They were lost at times on the pitch, slow to respond, they moved little, no one found space and they were generally lethargic.

Had the players taken advantage of the touchline ban of the Manager Pep Guardiola and simply downed tools? Were they drunk? Was Mikel Arteta simply a supply teacher losing control of his class?

Games have rhythm but City had none. Usually David Silva ticks like a metronome turning over possession but not today. City lacked ideas and were second best in all departments. Watching Lyon closely they looked a side capable of having a good cup run.

They came to the match without the luggage of expectation and had clearly studied the game plans which had secured victories for Liverpool in their recent encounters with City.

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Lyon pressed with high energy and were relentless until about 80 minutes when they noticeably tired. They had runners with options on the wings, holding space wide, leaving pockets for midfield runners to exploit. They challenged and compressed our midfield, winning battles and disrupting our play.

We assisted Lyon by panicking in possession and generally being sloppy in our play. Fernandinho was caught too often, Ilkay Gundogan pressed forward on too many occasions leaving Lyon with spaces to occupy. Gabriel Jesus looked slower today as though his batteries had run down and his industry looked laboured, it was difficult to understand his contribution until he was withdrawn.

The game started slowly – and it was this slow play which characterised this match and all of our ineffectual matches under Guardiola. When we attack with pace we look unbeatable but today from the first 10 minutes we looked decidedly beatable.

Sometimes Guardiola’s team selection is a surprise – as though its over thought and over planned. Instinct tells us fans we look best with Sane and Sterling exploding down the wings and the game reinforced our need to stick to our game plan – the one which works more often than not.

Aymeric Laporte had an early header against the bar from a period of pressure but we looked to be on the back-foot from the early stages. Both Lyon goals came from the kind of mistakes we have not suffered regularly.

A cross from Memphis Depay was missed by Fabian Delph leaving an easy shot for Maxwel Cornet to finish across an unsighted Ederson. Delph held his head in his hands and we can only guess at the colourful and creative swear words he would use in the dressing room in his broad Yorkshire accent. In the ground we expected a response from City but nothing materialised and much like the match atmosphere – a drab and dreary evening petered out.

The second Lyon goal could have come at any number of moments but it was a great goal by Nabil Fekir which sealed the match. Fernandinho was caught in possession and left the back four exposed, David Silva chased to no avail and the World Cup winner  struck a sweet shot into the corner. The simple fact is Lyon deserved to be two goals in front and had looked the better team.

The second half saw the introduction of Sane but not until after the 54 minute mark. This change felt too late. City chased the game and Sane played well. He interlinked well with Bernardo Silva to create the City goal. The German in full flight is a joy to behold, he has such balance, altering his direction mid air like a gymnast. Aguero came on. Sterling was replaced by Mahrez but this all was to no avail.

Last season in the crowd we could feel the surge of energy as we chased games. This season so far, there is no surge to carry us over the finish line. We slowed the play down at every opportunity. We passed sideways – not with purpose, not with a plan – but out of desperation. Complacency descended and we played pointlessly – echoing our position in the Champions League group.

Whilst its entirely possible City will still progress out of their Champions League group, they will need to be more focussed to beat Hoffenheim away in the next game and complete a double over Shaktar Donetsk . This is the reality of the size of the task. City have brought the pressure on themselves.

All teams suffer defeat. The worry tonight is they were outplayed and there are not many times we have said this under Guardiola tenure. Tonight the team performance felt like final season Pellegrini, lacking intensity and purpose, we played without a coherent plan and crucially had no way of lifting the game or changing the game plan and that is a worry as we face a long season ahead.

How we respond to defeat will be the key to what happens next. We did not respond at all on the pitch last night, letting down the fans who had made the effort. We have to make a statement now away to Cardiff to get back on track quickly before doubt really does set in.