Manchester City opened their maiden Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Italian side Napoli at the Etihad Stadium. It wasn’t the worse result in the world considering the team they were up against.
Mugs
A lot of English press and football fans seem to have thought that Napoli would show up and Manchester City would steamroller them.
However Napoli are a very good team and were never going to be pushovers. If anybody has seen the Azzurri in Serie A then they will know how good a team they are.
The likes of Marek Hamsik, Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi are some of the most highly rated and wanted attackers in European football. Napoli really have done well to keep hold of the trio. So Napoli were always going to come and give City a game.
Nervous
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini came out after the match and stated that the players were nervous. I don’t know why they were so nervous, a lot of these players have experienced Champions League football previously and shouldn’t have been overawed by the occasion.
The likes of Samir Nasri, Yaya Toure and David Silva have all played in the Champions League before and in Toure’s case won the competition. Although they are only human and were likely to get nervous, a lot of these players have played in far bigger games than this one.
Debut
As a club it was Manchester City’s first game in the Champions League. It wasn’t the vintage display that a lot of people expected from City. City have been on fire in the Premier League but the Champions League is a different kettle of fish.
You have to be patient and thoughtful. The pace of the game can be slower and it can take longer to make an impact in a game, especially if your at home and the away side is set up for the counter-attack.
Learning
Manchester City suddenly find themselves in a competition that they are not accustomed to. Not only is it new to some of the players, its new to the fans and officials at the club. This sort of night will be a good learning curve for everybody at Manchester City.
Some of the players are still relatively new to the team as well with the likes of Nasri and Aguero only joining the team in the summer. They may have gelled in the English top flight but its going to take lots of time and practice to gel in the Champions League.
Experienced
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has extensive experience of the Champions League, having managed Italian giants Inter in the competition. He only ever reached the quarter-final stage of the competition, so he will want to take City further.
I’m sure his experiences with Inter in Europe will stand him in good stead for this seasons campaign. He will need to help his players through bad results and tough ties though.
Reality
Prior to last nights game people were talking about Manchester City as potential winners of the Champions League. This was based on the fact that the club have started their Premier League campaign in such good fashion.
However last night was a bit of a reality check for the players, fans and pundits. City now know they cannot just turn up and beat every opponent in the Champions League. Even the great Barcelona have to work hard for victories in Europe’s elite competition.
Tough
Next up for Manchester City in the Champions League is a trip to German giants Bayern Munich. Bayern look like a rejuvenated side this season under veteran coach Jupp Heynckes and will be another tough opponent for Mancini’s side.
However, I believe playing away will allow City to counter-attack and get the best out of the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Samir Nasri. Manchester City are definitely still a work in progress but I believe its so far so good for the Champions League new boys.
Will Manchester City beat Bayern in their next Champions League clash?
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