Pep Guardiola’s list of departures from the Champions League is getting longer and stranger. Lyon, who had finished 7th in Ligue 1 and played two competitive matches in the past five months, had given the impression of being a minor impediment before the actual transaction of a semi-final opposite Bayern Munich.Still, Man City ended hit well on Sunday, falling 3-1, with all the old flaws exposed and some new ones added as well. Once again, he was unsuccessful in the semi-finals of the Champions League under Guardiola’s division.
There is evidence that Real Madrid in the last round, especially in the first leg, has a (relatively) more conservative technique and the willingness to look at and suffocate an opponent who dazzles when Guardiola chose to reflect the shape of Lyon.Phil Foden, as effective behind Madrid on Friday, knocked out Eric Garcia, while Guardiola chose a third league with Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo as extremes.This left Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri to protect the 3 sides at the base of the midfield.
But the unknown shape counted against City. I could have struggled to locate its same old rhythm as opposed to a physically powerful and well-organized Lyon anyway, but without its same old width, City struggled to create openings. And the last five were a direct cause of Lyon’s first match, with Walker stuck too much, betting Karl Toko Ekambi in the game and then failing to keep Maxwel Cornet, who scored in both of the organization-level matches of the League of Champions opposed to City last season, so when the The ball broke at Cornet while Garcia challenged him Array had time and space His brilliant finish, formed hard and low at the first post with Ederson stuck on the edge of his area, but it would have been much more difficult to execute if it had been under pressure.
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Is it too simple to say that Guardiola, once back, has thought too much of a big game?Perhaps, and one of his wonderful attributes as a coach is his ability to analyze an opponent and spread his weaknesses.But it’s a recurring pattern: back and forth, Guardiola adjusts shape before a big Champions League match, and things go wrong.Since leaving Barcelona in 2012, Guardiola’s teams have only kept a blank sheet in the Champions League quarter-finals or later.
Lyon finished seventh in Ligue 1.This is a damaging team, but it is far from brilliant.What if City had played 4-3-3 from the beginning?The breadth, surely, would have stretched to Lyon.As things stand, the City seemed to play in the hands of Lyon, his rough and unimaginative game, polished and slow, all filtered through Gundogan And perhaps there was also an indication of the greatest flaw of Guardiola’s philosophy, his preference for a midfielder, without a dominant central in fact, nor a mortal central striker , when speed is not quite there, there is nothing to turn to.
But the most complicated thing was that, having started with such a strange side, Guardiola made so little effort to replace him.He only hired two replacements. Foden and Bernardo Silva never made it from the bench.Benjamin Mendy may have been a more offensive option on the far left than the right Cancel.
Finally, shortly before time, there was a change, with the incorporation of Riyad Mahrez by Fernandinho, who was on a reserve. The form returned to the more familiar 4-3-3 with Kevin De Bruyne falling deeper. City ownership increased, tension began to build and eventually, with 21 minutes remaining, De Bruyne scored, leaping hard into the bottom corner of Raheem Sterling’s cut.
At this point, there only seemed to be one winner, the momentum with City.Gabriel Jesus, scoreless, missed a volley on the rear post, but then, 12 minutes from the end, replacement Moussa Dembele restored Lyon’s lead.Ekambi, who crossed a cross ball, was offside, but Dembélé was not, so the game was allowed to continue.The City has argued that Dembélé missed Aymeric Laporte in preparation, but the VAR was not convinced.
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The City returned to look for the tie, but it was another of the European nights in which the confidence dissipated.
Jesus created the chances for Sterling, but in front of an empty net from six yards, kind of shot.
Some 59 seconds later, Lyon driven their way, as Houssem Aouar shot and Ederson ate the of saves, giving Dembele a tap-in on the rebound.
Out of town, disappointed in Lyon, disappointed in destinations, and disappointed in yourself.