Player Ratings in Manchester City’s defeat to Lyon

Disaster struck once again as Manchester City were ousted from the Champions League by Lyon, a team that finished seventh in Ligue 1.

Manchester City’s latest European nightmare could be described in so many ways, but to put it succinctly, poor tactics put City in a hole from the start, and although they improved, VAR controversy polished them off, leaving only themselves to blame.

This was not a brilliant performance by Lyon. They defended well, but in my view with this showing they would have been easily dispatched by any of RB Leipzig, PSG, or Bayern Munich. In that sense, City don’t deserve to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, even though I believe that City are easily one of Europe’s four best sides. It’s more of the same in the Champions League, and given the opportunity that was at hand, it makes one question whether or not European success will ever be in this club’s DNA.

Defense

Ederson (GK): When you play with a sweeper-keeper, you live and die by this trait. This time, he expected to engage the striker on Lyon’s first goal, but when Eric García did better than expected defensively, his positioning cost City a crucial opening goal. His effort on the third was horrific, but the game was already beyond City at that point. (4)

Kyle Walker (RWB): After a brilliant performance against Real Madrid, he was consistently beaten and should have been there for the first goal. (4.5)

Fernandinho (CB): The key tenet of Pep Guardiola’s system change, and it could not have been worse. Beaten on several occasions, making clumsy challenges while on a yellow, and being caught too high. Should have been subbed after 30 minutes, but managed to survive until the 55th. (3.5)

Eric García (CB): The best of the back three today. I questioned his selection because of questions surrounding his commitment and playing to avoid injury with his desire to move to Barcelona, but he played well, and should have started had City progressed further. He will be a big loss for the future. (7)

Aymeric Laporte (CB): Even though I firmly believe he was fouled and Karl Toko Ekambi should have been ruled offside, City’s star defender crumbled in a massive moment when they had taken back control of the game. (4)

João Cancelo (LWB): Easily, without a shadow of a doubt, City’s best defender today. When City were passive and creating nothing in the first half, he showed initiative, running at the Lyon defense and slipping in Raheem Sterling on multiple occasions, while also getting back to make key tackles. (7.5)

Midfield

Rodri (CDM): Struggled with the unfamiliarity of the back five and the spaces that were left in the wide areas, and he could not put his influence on the game because he was often being dragged out from his shield role to cover marauding Lyon attackers. (5)

İlkay Gündoğan (CDM): The main story of Guardiola’s fear-based overly defensive approach to the first leg defeat to Tottenham a year ago, Gündoğan repeated the feat today. City may as well have played with ten men in the first half, as he was nonexistent, offering nothing going forward as per usual while once again failing in the “defensive stability” department that keeps him on the team sheet in massive games. (3.5)

Kevin de Bruyne (CAM): In the first half was almost playing “hero ball”: trying to do everything alone and shooting from ridiculous angles that will never come off from set pieces. He and the team improved massively after the switch to the normal formation, grabbing a trademark goal but seeing his efforts sadly undone. (7)

Attack

Raheem Sterling (ST): Along with Cancelo, the only bright spots of the first half and a key assist for De Bruyne’s goal. It seemed to be a solid performance until a miss that will go down in Champions League history cost City a chance at extra time. Champions League winners put it away. (4)

Gabriel Jesus (ST): Was out of the game but also showed up in key moments, setting up Sterling and firing a good shot on Anthony Lopes’ goal. The moment that will define this night for the Brazilian, however, is a key miskick when a ball was chipped in and he had only the goalkeeper to beat. (5.5)

Substitutes

Riyad Mahrez (RW): Opened up the game when City switched to their normal formation, but this may have been more on the system change than on the Algerian’s individual performance. (5)

David Silva (CAM): A horrible way to end his City career. Stuck on the bench, watching as his team crumbles and his manager refuses to change it, making only one substitution while the game was still alive and two total out of a possible five. Gracias, David. (6)