One thing that the players of Manchester City did during their match against Real Madrid that will be a cause for concern for Pep Guardiola has been brought to the attention of Wayne Rooney.
In the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff match, which took place on Tuesday night, City played host to Madrid, the reigning European champions, at the Etihad Stadium. The match was taking place between the two teams.
Erling Haaland scored twice for City, but they were unable to extend their lead to the final minutes of the match. Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham scored goals for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, which resulted in a comprehensive victory by a score of 3-2.
When Guardiola’s team travels to the Bernabeu to compete in the second leg of the Champions League match the following week, they will be faced with a challenging task—they will have to keep their dream of winning the Champions League alive.
Rooney, a former player for Manchester United and England, made a comment after the game in which he pointed out something that the City players did that has the potential to become a major concern for Guardiola in the almost immediate future.
In an interview with Amazon Prime, he stated, “I believe that Manchester City displayed a great deal of naivety, particularly in the later stages of the game.” I believe that over the course of the past few years, you have witnessed a strong belief and confidence on the part of Manchester City’s players.
The players tonight appeared to be looking around at each other, almost as if they did not believe in each other, and I believe that this is something that Guardiola is concerned about. In spite of the fact that Real Madrid has arrived at this venue without any of their back four players, I do not believe that Carlo Ancelotti has ever mentioned this possibility.
Rooney continued by saying: “When you are 2-1 up against Real Madrid with a game coming up at the Bernabeu, you have to say ‘let’s be sensible’, let them have the ball in their half, reset.”
In the course of his own interview, Guardiola discussed the poor choices that his team made with regard to the current match.
He stated, “During this season, it occurs quite frequently.” In terms of quality, I am familiar with Real Madrid. In the second half, we were able to take control of the game and attempt to attack too quickly. It is due to the fact that they [Real Madrid] are an outstanding team.
“It happens many times this season. I only made poor choices, that’s all. I will comply. You and I are not the only ones affected; everyone is. Yeah, that is all season [injuries]. But we know it.”
City will now have to dust themselves off ahead of their Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.
