Manchester City's Defending a Cause for Concern Ahead of Crucial Tottenham Clash

When football delivers, as it did on Wednesday evening as Celtic and Manchester City played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Glasgow, Scotland, there are few other sports that can match it for sheer excitement.

This was supposed to be an unequal encounter, with the Premier League behemoths, on a 10-game winning run, expected to roll over their Scottish counterparts and effectively qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League after just two Group C matches.

After all, Scottish football is seen as an inferior “product” to the English game. How can Celtic, a mix of misfits and bargains who lost their first group match 7-0 in Barcelona, compete with the Premier League leaders assembled at huge cost?

But football is rarely that straightforward. Celtic delivered a spectacular display and led three times. City, widely praised this season for their technical brilliance and their style of football, showed us they can also fight, coming from behind on three occasions to ensure they remain unbeaten under Pep Guardiola.

It was a frantic, breathless 90 minutes played out against a backdrop of spectacular colour and deafening noise—a game that had everything and left few in any doubt about its status as the best in this season’s competition to date.

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FT | Celtic 3-3 City

What a game! Great character from #mcfc to come back three times. A @ChampionsLeague classic. pic.twitter.com/6fmYo8C2LQ

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 28, 2016"

“A noise I’ve never heard before,” was how Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers described the din inside Celtic Park, which was thunderous just prior to kick-off and increased steadily as the home side began with a bang.

They were quicker to the ball than City, outpressing them and overrunning them, denying them any time to settle on the ball. They attacked in waves, and City, for the first time this season, struggled to cope.

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Brendan Rodgers: "It's a noise I've never heard before."

Celtic Park 👏👏👏 #UCL pic.twitter.com/fRu6zs3tyW

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 29, 2016"

"We felt we could have won but we're happy with a point. Collectively, we were outstanding,” Rodgers said.

"I'm sure Pep will recognise that it was really difficult night for them. They are a top-class team with a top-class manager, who has coached them really well.

"But how our players pressed the game and forced Man City into mistakes was a great credit to my team."

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From embarrassment at Camp Nou to a special performance, @rioferdy5 is full of praise for @celticfc. #CelticvCity https://t.co/G4ak1rbSWe

— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) September 28, 2016"

Guardiola will be disappointed not to equal the club record of 11 straight wins—a record that Manuel Pellegrini set just over 12 months ago—but the spirit running through his squad will soften that particular blow.

City’s defending was appalling at times, and they appeared to struggle without Kevin De Bruyne’s creativity—but the determination they showed to keep recovering from setbacks in such a difficult atmosphere bodes well for the future. This isn’t just a side of talented players—it’s one prepared to fight and scrap for a result, one with character and resilience.

That said, the inquest into City’s defending on a barmy night in Scotland must begin immediately. Guardiola’s staff need to quickly find answers as to why Celtic were allowed to breach their goal three times, with their own profligacy largely to blame.

Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta looked off the pace in the full-back positions. Aleksandar Kolarov had his worst game of the season and fluffed his clearance in the buildup to Celtic’s third. And Nicolas Otamendi, probably the pick of the back four, displayed the recklessness he showed last season and gave away a number of needless free-kicks in the early stages.

It was shambolic at times, and Guardiola, an intense student of the game, will be concerned, especially with City’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur coming in just three days' time.

Mark Runnacles/Getty Images

“I said to my players in the beginning that this group will be decided if you are able to qualify for the next round in the last game,” Guardiola said afterwards. “When you play against Barcelona, it's going to be tough.

“But now it's time to analyse what we did and we are going to see what happened in Barcelona. Of course, we are now second and we have chance still.

“We are going to recover well, focus on White Hart Lane and we have time to think about Barcelona.”

De Bruyne’s absence undoubtedly hurt City. He’s been in spectacular form this season, a player so assured in possession who is capable of picking a key pass at any moment of a match. That ability to control a game and provide moments of match-winning brilliance was sorely missed. There’s still no official prognosis, but he’s expected to miss at least three weeks.

The major positive for Guardiola was the continuation of Raheem Sterling’s fine form. He was by far City’s most creative player on the night; his pace a constant concern for the Celtic defenders who were struggling to stop him.

He scored City’s second, his fifth of the season already, and provided a threat right until the end of the game. Last season’s struggles are now firmly behind him, and he’s playing arguably the best football of his career.

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.@rioferdy5 singled out @sterling7 this evening after a "world class" performance for @ManCity. #CelticvCity https://t.co/xS6f57APjL

— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) September 28, 2016"

Sterling has taken a barrage of abuse from fans and the media since his move to City in the summer of 2015, but the tide is now turning after a wonderful start to the season. He’s just 21, yet he offers so much already: pace, strength and the ability to beat players and score goals.

City’s character and strength got them through a difficult night at Celtic Park. The team spirit Guardiola has created since his arrival in July is now clear for all to see.

But there is plenty of work still to do on the training ground. The defensive frailties that were the cause of City’s problems last season resurfaced on Wednesday night, and if Guardiola is to fulfil the club’s ambitions this season, that will need addressing.

Tottenham will provide City with their most difficult test of the season so far when the two sides meet on Sunday. The spirit they showed in coming from behind three times against Celtic will be needed again, and cutting out the errors at the back is vital. How City react from their first setback will tell us much about the impact Guardiola has had on his talented squad.

It's perhaps the first big test of Guardiola's reign.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.