PAINFUL EXIT..........Man City only have themselves to blame as Lyon inflict more Champions League pain on Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has yet again failed in Europe with Manchester City, suffering what was probably his worst and most embarrassing elimination yet. That in turn meant it was one of the greatest upsets, as a supremely defiant Lyon pulled off yet another win over the Catalan. This is the most costly, as it means the most lavishly expensive project in world football, having appointed the perfect manager for them, still haven’t reached the semi-finals in four years.

This wasn’t to be the grand culmination of a season that also saw them get that huge victory with CAS. It instead just summed up so many of the flaws of the side, so many of the reasons they have only ended up with the Carabao Cup.

But it is this European record that will bother Guardiola most of all. It is just mediocre, and goes way beyond freak incidents, or bad decisions. On that, City can point to two offside decisions, but Lyon can look to a denied penalty call. Guardiola would be better off looking to some of their misses – particularly a huge one by Raheem Sterling at 2-1 on 85 minutes – some of their play, and to himself.

So much of this conformed to exactly the kind of script you’d expect of a City elimination. It almost completely followed the script of Lyon’s 2-1 win at City two years ago, which is an even greater indictment of Guardiola.

There was first of all the curious formation. The best that can ever be said for this type of decision is that Guardiola is second-guessing the situation, but it usually means his own side aren’t playing their best game. It’s as if that neurosis he has about the competition grips him. He started with a curious 3-5-2 of a type that he’s rarely used before, selecting Ilkay Gundogan over all of Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Phil Foden.
The fact there were five nominal defenders in the starting line-up also indicated Guardiola’s undue caution in the Champions league, that so often undercuts his teams without actually improving them defensively. The effect is usually that it takes away from their attacking fluency, thereby giving the opposition more ball and chances, which is exactly the opposite of its intention and exactly what happened here.

There was then the manner of the opening goal, when it eventually came.
It was – of course – from a ball in behind. Kyle Walker had been caught out of position to let Maxwell Cornet in, with Fernandinho’s interception only landing at the feet of the oncoming winger.
Cornet still had a lot to do but did it brilliantly, guiding the ball around Ederson with a controlled but firm swerve.
He’d scored the opening goal in that win two years ago and was one of seven players to have featured in that match. There were often times when it felt like they were working off that knowledge, as they regularly went in quite forcefully on Guardiola’s players.
A criticism of this City side in Europe is that they lack the kind of strong characters who are capable of rising to the deeply involving intensity of such occasions, that they have too many “obedient” players who will make the system work so fluidly over the long term – but don’t have the same answers when it goes wrong.
That, of course, was the cue for players like Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne to finally step up in this competition. They didn’t do it enough.

Cornet scored the first goal of the game (REUTERS)

Their goal was admittedly a display of supreme composure.
It was all the more impressive given now tenaciously Lyon had been defending. There was an admirable resolve to them. Much of it was like a classic Italian team, particularly from former City player Jason Denayer, while Anthony Lopes was putting in a classic goalkeeper performance.
Sterling was denied when stretching, and Gundogan twice in quick succession. It was difficult not to wonder what one of the Silvas or Foden would have offered in that situation. It probably would have been the kind of composure we saw on 69 minutes.
Sterling did superbly to keep the ball in on the by-line and turn Denayer, feeding De Bruyne for the firmest and cleanest of one-touch finishes.

The players, the staff and Guardiola celebrated naturally celebrated raucously – but that revealed something. It meant too much. They still weren’t comfortable. It didn’t compose them.

Olympique Lyonnais‘ Moussa Dembele celebrates (REUTERS)

A certain angst was still hardwired into their approach. That could be seen in a rushed shot from Gabriel Jesus, and then another needless rush from the backline.
Houssem Aouar saw the gap, Karl Toko Ekambi opened the gap further by stepping over the ball, and substitute Moussa Dembele was left in open space in front of Ederson. He scored.

Sterling didn’t. That miss will haunt him. That was the moment. That could have been the transformation of City in Europe. With 85 minutes gone, and the goal gaping, it seemed harder to miss. Somehow, he did. Except he didn’t just miss. He skied it. With it went City’s chances.
Dembele didn’t make the mistake when Ederson made another error on the night.
That was that. Rudi Garcia had done a number on Guardiola. Lyon had again done a number on City.
When you add up all of their Champions League results over the past four years, it is an even poorer picture. And they can only look to themselves.