Champions League: Are Manchester City the real “bottlers” of European football
By Varun Aithal
Pep’s spent millions upon millions on his defense.
To date, Pep Guardiola has spent £315 million on his defense. He signed Pedro Porro, Philippe Sandler, Angelino, Joao Cancelo, Danilo, Benjamin Mendy, John Stones, and Aymeric Laporte. Though few were youngsters and were loaned out to other clubs,
Adding to the list is Nathan Ake who was signed for a fee of £41 million from relegated Bournemouth. Along with these signings, they are also being rumored with Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli.
More from Champions League
- Manchester United predicted lineup vs Bayern Munich – UEFA Champions League 2023/24
- Arsenal predicted lineup vs PSV: Mikel Arteta to drop “Henry-esque” winger
- Newcastle predicted lineup vs AC Milan: Tough decisions for Eddie Howe
- Newcastle United extend Callum Wilson’s contract for another year
- Arsenal: Mikel Arteta excludes £38m signing in Champions League squad
John Stones, Mendy, and Laporte, along with Kyle Walker have been their mainstays. They have conceded 124 goals in four seasons averaging close to 31 goals per season. Their closest title rivals Liverpool have spent heavily only Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker but has let in only 135 goals from 2016-2020. These stats tell that overspending is not the only solution to success.
Other than this, Pep Guardiola has failed to adjust his side to the Champions League. In his four seasons at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola and his men have never advanced further than the quarterfinals in the elite competition.
Despite having top-class defenders and midfield reinforcements filled up till brim, Manchester City have lost to the likes of AS Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham, and now, Olympique Lyon. The trend remains the same in all of Pep’s defeats.
The side is unable to slit open the defense of the opposition and fail to absorb the pressure of opposition attack. Not what you see often in when they strutting their stuff in the Premier League.