The overwhelming likelihood is that Manchester City will be fine. A draw away from home in the Champions League is never a bad result, and in front of their own supporters in three weeks’ time they should probably finish the job they left frustratingly undone here. And yet if the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on Sunday could be dismissed as a fluke, this was an altogether more worrying display from Manchester City, who seemed to play the second half of this game in strange pastel shades.
Of course, City is a club that has rendered itself largely immune to panic over the years, that in its stickiest moments simply trusts in the redemptive power of a well-drilled process and 75% possession. Paradoxically, that was probably their undoing here: the curious lack of urgency as RB Leipzig raised the tempo and briefly threatened to take the tie away from them. As the first XI toiled on the pitch, Phil Foden and Julian Álvarez grimaced away on the bench. Full time came and went with Pep Guardiola not making a single substitution.
Written by Jonathan Liew at Red Bull Arena
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/22/rb-leipzig-manchester-city-champions-league-last-16-match-report under the title “Gvardiol cancels out Mahrez opener to leave Manchester City and Leipzig level”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
