Though Manchester City secured a narrow win over Hoffenheim, their win was far from convincing and it was an error by the home side that helped the visitors get that decisive goal in the 87th minute. It was David Silva, who ended up capitalizing on the slight lack of concentration and getting his name on the score card. This, after the 2-1 home defeat to Lyon in the opening day fixture, was a real relief for the players, manager and the fans.
However, it was obviously not a nice sight for the reigning champions of England, who are doing really well in the top flight of English football and the domestic cups. Their display was below par and they were lucky to take back all three points from the game.
Looking back at the match, here are three main reasons why Manchester City are struggling in Europe-
3. Lack of performers on the bench
Though the Manchester based side does have the quality on the bench, they just can’t seem to stand up and perform for their manager. The substitutes have seen a lot of ups and downs already and have been in and out of the team at times, due to which it becomes quite tough for them to have a run of form. Also, some of these players do not possess the quality that the stars in the starting side do and have struggled so far.
Why Pep has some of them in the squad still is not known, though it will be best to try out some of the young talents instead and leave them out completely. Gabriel Jesus is surely one such name.
2. Uncertain playing eleven
There has been a lot of mixing and matching going on and Pep has still not decided which his best playing eleven is, despite winning the Premier League title with this side last term. Funny, when the manager is confused about his own squad, what does he expect from the players in the big competitions. This is not the league, where he can get away with a few poor games and still pick up wins.
The level of competition in the Champions League is much higher and City are not in an easy group, that they can become complacent and expect to win every game. Lyon has already shown them that and it will be up to the Spaniard now to quickly sort out the issues and choose a first-choice playing eleven.
1. No goal-scoring support for Aguero
As mentioned earlier, Gabriel Jesus is useless. He failed to do anything at the World Cup for Brazil and is not at the level of Manchester City. It will be interesting to see how long his career at the Etihad survives. Aguero needs support and he does not have that in the form of a backup striker.
The wingers like Sterling and Mahrez, along with Bernado Silva and David Silva have been chipping in with goals (in the league). Sterling has failed to impress in Europe as well, which will be a major concern for the team, though he has done well domestically. Kevin de Bruyne is out injured and will need some more time to recover. With that being said, buying an additional striker is a must for the reigning champions of England in the January transfer window, if they wish to do something in Europe this year. Otherwise, the struggle will just continue.
