Manchester City Won't Reach the Champions League Knockout Rounds

Manchester City will be breathing a heavy sigh of relief after securing a 1-0 win over Manchester United last Sunday, but the pressure will be on them to perform once again this Wednesday when they take on CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League—a tournament they soon could be exiting.

City are currently third in their group with only two points from three games. In a group which contains Bayern Munich and Roma, City’s chances of qualification look grim. And even if they dispatch of CSKA with ease, it would be surprising if Manchester City make it to the next stage. Europa League, here they come.

It was once all too easy to claim that they were inexperienced. Star striker Sergio Aguero told The Telegraph:

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Rather than look for excuses for what happened, I think we’d rather focus on what’s coming up.

It’s not the time for regrets. Now, more than ever, it comes down to our own efforts.

We can’t drop any more points and we have to go for the win in every one of the remaining matches.

"

Regrets are something that the City stalwarts have become accustomed to on the European stage since entering the tournament for the first time three seasons ago.

It was only in their third time of asking that the Blues managed to get themselves into the knockout stages for the first time, only to be swiftly eliminated by FC Barcelona. Before that occasion, they finished third and fourth in their groups over the first two campaigns.

And the way their fixtures set up with two consecutive home games against CSKA Moscow and Bayern Munich respectively followed by an away trip to AS Roma, then one could see them managing four points out of that group.

However, their last match with Roma will be their downfall. If they could not pick up three points against a team that is relatively weaker than them (at least on paper) at home, but instead turn in a mediocre performance and escape with a draw, then why would they be considered favourites in Rome? Oh wait, they aren’t.

Add to the collapse in Moscow, and then pathetically blaming it on the 200 CSKA fans that shouldn’t have been there, and City really don’t deserve to be in this tournament for much longer.

Furthermore, it would be quite bizarre if their uncomfortable domestic form fails to translate on to the European arena. Since the 2-2 draw in Moscow, City have endured successive losses to West Ham and Newcastle, before clinching a 1-0 win over 10-man Manchester United in what was a shaky finale for the boys in Blue. It is a minor miracle that they are still third in the Premier League—but that’s detracting from the point.

There are two significant reasons for their drop in form. Their centre-back partnership and their central midfield players.

Starting with the former, it is evident to see that, once again Manchester City’s defence has not been up to scratch. Before their 1-0 win this weekend, City had managed only three clean sheets this season (15 competitive games to be precise.) That is far from good enough.

Gareth Copley/Getty Images

One man that has to take the blame is 23-year-old French centre-back Eliaquim Mangala, the £35.2 million signing from FC Porto. Despite his positive debut, Mangala has struggled to adapt to the demands of playing for Manchester City. Manuel Pellegrini may be certain in his own head that he is the perfect fit for the club, but it is telling when West Ham manager Sam Allardyce claimed that they targeted the young centre-back throughout their clash a little over a week ago.

If Mangala has struggled and so have Matija Nastasic and Stefan Savic (who is no longer at the club), then one has to wonder if Vincent Kompany is up to the task of mentoring a young centre-back as a partner.

Kompany was a far superior defender when he had a more experienced centre-back partnered alongside him. His partnership with Joleon Lescott helped them win the league title first time round. And is it merely a coincidence that City kept a clean sheet against United with Martin Demichelis at the back? The answer is a resounding no.

The bottom line is if Sam Allardyce has the tactical nous to target the young centre-back, then one would expect their Champions League opponents to follow suit.

Meanwhile, the central midfield is a chaotic mess at the moment. Yaya Toure has failed to recapture his majestic form from last season. He has scored a miserable one goal in his nine appearances for City in the Premier League so far while this damning piece by Sky Sports’ Adam Bate shows his lack of sprints and interceptions for the club.

It is really bad when Frank Lampard, a supposed “has been,” has produced more in his limited game time than any of the other central midfielders on City’s squad. He has four goals and four assists, which is twice as much and in about half the appearances than Toure has managed.

And then there are their two Brazilian midfielders, Fernandinho and Fernando. The former has managed two assists in 15 appearances; the latter one assist in 10 appearances—neither player has deserved to wear the shirt. Sometimes statistics don’t always tell the full story (look at Nigel De Jong’s contributions a few seasons ago). Yet, it never helps when their performances are riddled with bad touches and even worse passes. (Statistics from transfermarkt.com)

Therefore, it is no wonder that Manchester City have constantly failed to look up to the fight. Many have considered them contenders to retain their domestic crown before the season kicked off, with some pundits suggesting they could make a good run in the Champions League. Those claims look set to be rubbished by superior European teams.

People look at Manchester City’s attacking prowess and then cite them as one of the best clubs in the continent. The likes of Sergio Aguero and David Silva cover up the fact there are significant weaknesses in City’s squad—and it is once again being exposed in the Champions League. And once again those weaknesses, as well as their previous form, will mean that Manchester City will exit at the group stage of the Champions League.

 Broderick Sutherland is a B/R Contributor. Follow on him twitter—@BrodSutherland