Manchester City vs. CSKA Moscow: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game
Manchester City's UEFA Champions League campaign is in shambles following a 2-1 loss at home to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night at the Etihad Stadium.
Seydou Doumbia scored both goals for the Russian side, netting in the second and 34th minutes as CSKA capitalised on poor defending by Manchester City. Yaya Toure pulled City level briefly with an eighth-minute free-kick, but the hosts were unable to avoid defeat after being reduced to nine men in the second half following the dismissals of Toure and Fernandinho.
City were angered after Tasos Sidiropoulos failed to dismiss Pontus Wernbloom in the 77th minute, the referee instead showing yellow to Sergei Ignashevich in a case of mistaken identity.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini refused to blame Sidiropoulos, however, saying (per the Daily Mail's Ian Ladyman), "I don't want to link the referee with the result. We can't play the way we did today if we want to win."
Regardless, City now sit at the bottom of the Group E table with two matches remaining, while CSKA have a legitimate shot at qualifying for the knockout round. Keep reading for five lessons we learned from Wednesday's match.
Nobody Said It Was Easy…
1 of 5
Manchester City's Champions League campaign had not exactly been a rousing success before Wednesday night. After losing at home to CSKA Moscow, however, it is quickly turning into an unqualified disaster.
Manuel Pellegrini's side opened Group E with a 1-0 loss at Bayern Munich, hardly an embarrassing result considering Bayern's stature as one of the favourites to win the entire competition this season. But over their next two matches, City were able to collect only two points in draws against Roma (at home) and CSKA Moscow (away).
Those results gave Wednesday's return match against CSKA something of a must-win status for City. But instead of kick-starting their campaign, City turned in a poor performance and now find themselves at the bottom of Group E with two matches left to play.
Technically, City remain alive in the race to qualify for the knockout stages. But to do so, the Sky Blues will almost certainly have to win both of their remaining games—at home to Bayern and away to Roma.
Progressing to the knockout stages from this group was never going to be easy for Manchester City. Now, however, it seems highly improbable.
The Mystery Remains
2 of 5
Manchester City's performances in Europe remain something of a mystery. Premier League winners in 2011-12 and 2013-14, City have been unable to replicate their domestic success in continental play.
On Wednesday, diagnosing City's problems was easy. The hosts defended poorly throughout the match, allowing CSKA Moscow to take advantage with dangerous counter-attacks. In the second half, City's players lost their composure after seeing Fernandinho—and then Yaya Toure—sent off.
But what about the larger picture? Is some underlying problem holding City back in Europe? Have injuries hurt City more than other clubs? Has manager Manuel Pellegrini made the right decisions? Or has City merely received a series of poor draws?
As journalist Raphael Honigstein noted on Twitter, Manchester City's European form remains one of the most perplexing mysteries in modern football.
Why, Yaya?
3 of 5
Yaya Toure has drawn criticism in recent months for a run of performances in which the Ivorian midfielder has failed to play his best. His performance Wednesday will do little to change that, despite the fact Toure scored a fine free-kick goal.
Following a victory over Aston Villa in October, Toure told Sky Sports, "It's not so easy because you have to play every three days. I'm not a machine, I'm a man, but it's important to keep things going."
Toure's point about imperfection is fair. Every footballer, no matter the skill level, is human, and humans make mistakes. That said, Toure will be disappointed with himself for drawing a straight red card in the second half for pushing Roman Eremenko.
In addition, Toure was at fault for CSKA's opening goal, failing to track Seydou Doumbia's run before the striker headed in unchallenged from a corner.
Toure did make amends somewhat with a free-kick goal, which pulled City level in the eighth minute. But on the whole, he had a night to forget.
Gael Clichy Did Himself No Favours
4 of 5
Yaya Toure was not the only Manchester City player guilty of committing a costly error against CSKA Moscow. Late in the first half, an error by Gael Clichy led directly to the visitors' second goal.
Blaming Clichy for all of City's defensive problems Wednesday evening would be unfair. But Clichy's error was a glaring one, and as journalist James Ducker noted on Twitter, Manchester City might have to look for other options at left-back in the near future.
Why Not CSKA?
5 of 5
With Wednesday's win, CSKA Moscow moved onto four points—level with AS Roma in second place in Champions League Group E. Who is to say the Russian side cannot qualify for the knockout round?
When the Champions League draw came out, CSKA appeared to be the weakest side in the group. Bayern Munich, Manchester City and AS Roma all hail from more prestigious leagues, and all performed well domestically last season.
Bayern have performed as expected, winning all four matches so far. But City have played poorly, and Roma have managed just four points.
On paper, CSKA remain the weakest team in the group. But as Wednesday's win showed, the Russians are dangerous. Seydou Doumbia netted twice, with Bebras Natcho assisting both, and CSKA consistently looked threatening on the counter.
Up next for CSKA is a home match against Roma on Nov. 25. The winner of that game will be the favourites to advance to the knockout stage.
