An Expert View: The media’s take on why Manchester City have failed in Europe’s premier competition so far

Manchester City are gearing up for a UEFA Champions League Final in Istanbul on Saturday, but have tactics and team selections by manager Pep Guardiola cost the club on football’s biggest stage in the past?

This article is part of a series of pieces which aim to analyse why Manchester City Football Club have struggled to win the UEFA Champions League thus far, since their inaugural campaign back in 2011.

The focal point will change with each article and different groups such as the club’s fans and former staff will give their opinions regarding on and off the field issues which can be attributed to City’s recent European failure.

The media are very much the core subject of this segment though, with a particular focus given to several on the field issues which have continuously hindered City in the Champions League.

I have spoken on the phone to two City-focused journalists, to try and get to the bottom of just why the European trophy is yet to come to east Manchester.

Ian Cheeseman was the full-time Manchester City correspondent at BBC Radio Manchester from 2001 until 2017, after working as a sports journalist there since 1994, becoming an iconic figure in the Manchester media as well as in City circles.

He now regularly films and presents matchday vlogs for home and away fixtures on his YouTube channel, ‘Forever Blue.”

“When you are playing a tie over 180 minutes, you’re going to have some decisions that go against you. Whilst there is always luck involved in narrow results, you have to be mentally strong enough to overcome decisions that go against you,” said Ian.

Ian outside of the Etihad Stadium ahead of City’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Atletico Madrid (Credit: Edward Burnett)

Despite having two Champions League titles to his name as manager of Barcelona, Guardiola has been culpable of rethinking on several big European nights, often deciding on a team in the knockouts that has been caught out by pacy, counter-attacking football.

“Guardiola’s teams are most vulnerable to counter-attacks or pace. City’s team is not about pace in defence and that is one of the vulnerabilities the Guardiola’s teams have had,” outlined Ian.

This pace problem has plagued City’s defence for years with several of their European exits coming via counter-attacking sides. Tottenham’s team in 2019 were of no exception and Guardiola’s changed approach as well as pace susceptibility was exposed again.

“City were far too cautious in the first leg and were not themselves on the day. It felt as if they were sent out to do damage limitation rather than play the way they normally did that season, so I think that was a tactical mistake by Guardiola,” explained Ian.

“In the second leg they were more like themselves but very open. They clearly thought they could overwhelm Tottenham but they were caught on the break again.”

This notion of altering City’s play style reached a critical point in 2021 when the club reached their first ever Champions League final, facing off against fellow English side Chelsea at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.

City had beaten the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain on route to the final, all while playing a defensive midfielder in the side, but with an hour to go until kick-off and the line-ups announced, it was revealed that Guardiola had chosen not to start a natural defensive midfielder in Porto.

“I don’t know a single City fan who, when they saw the team selection that day, didn’t collapse emotionally and assume they were going to lose before a ball was even kicked,” revealed Ian.

“As I was sitting there in the stadium waiting for the game to start I was absolutely convinced they were going to lose.”

Stuart Brennan was the Chief Manchester City writer at the Manchester Evening News from 2009 until last summer, overseeing the club’s rapid rise from newcomers to Champions League regularity at the Etihad Stadium.

“I think there has been an issue with Pep tactically. He has pretty much admitted that not playing a defensive midfielder in the Champions League final last year was perhaps a mistake,” noted Stuart, who attended the final while reporting for the Manchester Evening News.

“It did seem odd as they played all season with one and then the first game they don’t is in the final against Chelsea. I think that can affect the mindset of players as much as anything else.”

It is quite apparent that Guardiola’s odd starting line-up led to problems for City with a cagey first half turning from bad to worse as Chelsea took the lead. Kai Havertz rounded City’s goalkeeper Ederson to tap home what was to be the match-winning goal.

“The goal that Chelsea scored came through the exact area of the pitch where Fernandinho or Rodri would have been,” lamented Ian.

Stuart reporting on City’s Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium during the Covid Pandemic (Credit: Stuart Brennan)

After getting to the final following so many attempts over the years to do so, an agonising defeat to a national rival was damning to all involved, so much so that it is extremely likely that the City players carry that experience with them.

“I don’t think it affected them adversely at all, losing the final last season,” reassured Stuart.

“They’re not top players because they fold when anything bad happens, rather they’re top players because when bad things happen, they get it sorted. They’ll use this season’s mistake to help next season.”

Irrespective of whether or not past failures drive on the current squad, Guardiola’s insistency to surprise with bold tactical moves, such as the absence of a defensive midfielder in Porto, have to be questioned.

“Pep overthinks sometimes when it comes to the latter stages of the Champions League and he’s had a history of doing so at Bayern Munich as well as City,” said Ian.

Times are changing though at City and after two years of missing out on their holy grail in the final and semi-final stages with no recognised striker, City have an in-form talisman in Erling Haaland, who has scored 52 goals in appearances.

The forward joined City last summer in a £51.2 million move from Borussia Dortmund, and has had an incredible maiden campaign at the Etihad Stadium.

This big name signing has reignited the overseas dream for the City faithful and all of this has not been lost on those covering the club in the media either, as the ambition to see the team succeed remains as strong as ever.

“After watching everything that has happened over the last 15 years, it is the only thing left to win. Whilst it isn’t the be-all and end-all to me, it would be nice for me before I hang up my scarf to say that I actually saw them win the Champions League,” exclaimed Ian.

Ian celebrating City’s 2013/14 Premier League triumph on the Etihad pitch with City’s all-time top goal scorer, Sergio Aguero (Credit: Ian Cheeseman)

After speaking to those in the media focusing on City, it is apparent that the club’s poor Champions League results year on year have definitely been affected by a series of tactical decisions.

Manchester City will seek to secure European glory on Saturday evening in Istanbul against Inter Milan, where many people will have their eyes fixed on Guardiola’s team selection 90 minutes prior to kick-off.