Manchester City vs. PSG: Areas Where the Tie Will Be Won and Lost
This has been Manchester City’s breakthrough season in the UEFA Champions League. Finally, after four campaigns of struggles, they look more assured on an elite European level.
They have reached the quarter-finals for the first time—and their 2-2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg on Wednesday has given them a fantastic opportunity to go one step further.
Tuesday's return leg in Manchester is City’s biggest game of the season. A positive result and a semi-final place is theirs. What a leap forward that would be.
Pep Guardiola will certainly be hoping they do. He will take over from Manuel Pellegrini on July 1, charged with winning the Champions League during his time at the club. A semi-final place would help alleviate some of the psychological barriers that have held them back and see him take over a team comfortable in European surroundings. His job would certainly be less difficult.
Pellegrini needs it too. His tenure is in danger of petering out in unspectacular style, with City’s Premier League campaign underwhelming massively. Passage through to the last four would at least add some sparkle to his final season in charge.
Of course, one of the main reasons he was employed was to help City progress in this competition after two group-stage exits under Roberto Mancini. Taking City to the latter stages, at the least, suggests he’s fulfilled that criterion and justified his appointment somewhat.
His players are more than capable. City and PSG both have top-class match-winners in their sides—but both have holes that can be exploited. They are well-matched outfits, and City, with two away goals in the bag, are in the driving seat. They have created a wonderful opportunity to qualify for the last four, which is something their owner, City Football Group, has long craved.
The atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium often underwhelms on European nights, but City need their home supporters more than ever on Tuesday. No one doubts the effect a loud, partisan home crowd can have on a game. City’s fans need to create a daunting atmosphere to inhibit PSG and make them uncomfortable.
But where will the match be won and lost? Which are the key areas? Here we look at three battles that could decide the outcome.
Manuel Pellegrini vs. Laurent Blanc
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Perhaps the key battle is between the two managers. Before Wednesday’s first leg, Laurent Blanc, the PSG manager, said the two sides play with a similar style.
"They have the same game philosophy as us," he said. "Chelsea leave ball possession to you because they have a very different game philosophy. But Manchester City want to control the game and have ball possession, and we are the same, so they have the same qualities and faults as us.
"They will want a battle for ball possession like us—but not possession for the sake of it. It will be an intense game. Both teams are strong attacking."
There's little that separates the two sides, so the way the managers set them up could be crucial. Will Pellegrini opt for Fernando in midfield as extra protection or revert to the Fernandinho-Yaya Toure axis? Will Blanc rush Marco Verratti, arguably PSG's most important player, back into the side to assert more control in midfield?
The game is so finely balanced, featuring two teams that play possession football, that tactical innovation—from either dugout—could be the key factor.
Sergio Aguero vs. Marquinhos
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Is David Luiz’s suspension for this match a good or bad thing for City? Blanc tends to choose Luiz to partner Thiago Silva, but the former Chelsea man is seen as a liability. His display in the first leg, during which he was continually caught the wrong side of City’s forward players, underlined his weaknesses.
In the first minute, he was booked and suspended for the second leg, having allowed Sergio Aguero to run in behind him. All he could do was pull him down—a blatant foul that saw the Brazilian ruled out of the return. It was poor on many levels. A lack of concentration, sharpness and discipline combined to deny Blanc one of his first-choice centre-backs for his team's most important game of the season so far.
His compatriot Marquinhos, the former Roma man who would attract a lot of attention should PSG ever put him up for sale, will come into the side in his place. It could well strengthen them.
How he handles Aguero will be vital. The Argentinian was poor in the first leg, rarely involved and unable to influence the game in a meaningful way. At the Etihad Stadium, it’s likely to be a different story. Given Marquinhos hasn’t always been an automatic choice, Aguero will look to get at him early on and test his rustiness.
But Marquinhos recently claimed he’s ready for the test, as reported by FourFourTwo: “Personally I feel good—if the opportunity comes, I'm ready. It's like when you learn to walk or ride a bike, it's still in your head. It's just that it takes a little longer to resume habits.
"That's why it was important to play [on Saturday against Guingamp]. I'm trying to prepare myself in the best way."
PSG cede too much space at the back, and City will look to exploit it.
Eliaquim Mangala vs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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There have been plenty of questions asked of Eliaquim Mangala since he signed for City in the summer of 2014.
Does he read the game well enough? Can he concentrate for 90 minutes and provide consistent quality?
So far, he hasn’t filled many with confidence he can be the defender City need. Too many errors have ruined his time at the club.
However, in the first leg against PSG, he was superb—the best defender in the City side and key reason they managed to come through the game with a draw.
In the second half in particular, there were periods when PSG were in total control, and only some luck and Mangala’s interventions saw City come through unscathed.
He needs to repeat that display. Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be 34, but he remains a player with plenty of quality. Strength, an exquisite touch, the ability to produce the unexpected—the Swede is almost impossible to mark.
Physically, Mangala has everything he needs to handle him. The worry is always his reading of the game.
A big performance is needed.
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.
