Manchester City’s quest to finally conquer Europe resumes on Wednesday when Pep Guardiola’s men travel to RB Leipzig, but all is not well for the English champions on or off the field. City appeared to have laid down a marker in the Premier League title race by beating leaders Arsenal 3‑1 away last week, only to throw away two points by conceding late to draw 1‑1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. They are also playing under a cloud after being charged with more than 100 breaches of financial rules by the Premier League, dating back to the 2009/10 season.
Defender Kyle Walker described City’s sloppiness in relinquishing the top spot in the Premier League at the weekend as “unacceptable”. “Sometimes it’s football and sometimes it’s emotion,” he said. “Every game should be treated the same — like a cup final.” A two‑point deficit at the top of the table could turn into five should Arsenal win their game in hand against struggling Everton. This lack of consistency is troubling Guardiola ahead of his side’s return to the competition they most crave.
City have never won the Champions League, and Guardiola, who won the trophy twice with Barcelona, has not done so since 2011, his penultimate season at Camp Nou. The signing of Erling Haaland was expected to be the final piece in solving City’s puzzle in Europe. The Norwegian has delivered the goals expected of him, with 32 in all competitions, yet his arrival is also cited as a factor in a dip in City’s collective standards this season. The defending champions have already dropped 20 points in 24 games, compared with 21 points over the entire 2021/22 campaign.
Despite Haaland’s haul, City had scored more goals as a team at this stage last season and now look more exposed defensively—an issue not helped by Guardiola’s willingness to let João Cancelo join Bayern Munich on loan, leaving the side without a natural left‑back. Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte, Rico Lewis and even creative midfielder Bernardo Silva have been shuffled to cover the left side of defence in the past two weeks alone. Guardiola said he was heartened by City’s display at Forest despite the lack of killer instinct that cost them two points, but he has not been slow to call out his players since the World Cup break for a lack of hunger and desire to remain on top in England—an uncharacteristic approach for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.
Finding such motivation for the Champions League should not be difficult. Third‑choice goalkeeper Scott Carson is the only member of Guardiola’s squad to have previously won the competition, when he was at Liverpool. “We’re coming after it,” goalkeeper Ederson said of City’s quest to win the Champions League. “I think we’re a group of great quality and that shows how much the club has developed over the last five or six years, with Premier League titles, Carabao Cups, FA Cups, Community Shields. So this title is what the club needs. It’s what we athletes need and it’s what Guardiola needs here at the club, too. This year, we’re going to try. We’re going after it.”
There could also be an extra incentive: the uncertainty surrounding when City might get another chance to play in the Champions League, given the recent financial breach charges. Should City be found guilty, a heavy points penalty or even relegation could be on the cards for a club that has played in Europe’s elite competition for 12 straight seasons.
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