Manchester City’s past two performances show exactly who they are which is a side in rebuild | OneFootball

Manchester City were well beaten by Real Madrid tonight as they went down to a 3-1 defeat at the Bernabeu. A hat trick from Kylian Mbappe sealed City’s fate as they went down 6-3 on aggregate over the two legs to crash out of the Champions League at the hands of Carlo Ancelotti’s side. But looking at Manchester City’s past two performances against Real Madrid and Newcastle they show exactly who Pep Guardiola’s side is right now. That is a team in rebuild as the contrasts between the two performances couldn’t have been more stark.

Against Newcastle, Manchester City was allowed to play their game. They earned that right with the start they made to the 4-nil win. City’s midfield was dominant against Eddie Howe’s side and they didn’t pay for any errors they made at the Etihad. It was a complete team performance. They also created the chances they needed to prosper in one of Manchester City’s best performances of the season last Saturday. But when you compare that to tonight’s display you see exactly where Pep Guardiola’s side is right now.

Manchester City were nowhere near it at the Bernabeu tonight as they fell 3-1 to the current European champions. From the moment Kylian Mbappe gave Real Madrid the lead in the 4th minute City’s goose was cooked. Carlo Ancelotti’s side was determined not to let Manchester City get into the game and that’s how it unfolded. The sum of City’s parts couldn’t muster a fightback when he faced with Real Madrid’s dominance. That’s where the problem lies with the current City squad. That’s what Manchester City’s past two performances demonstrate.

Manchester City aren’t capable of maintaining the high level we saw against Newcastle with this current squad and injury situation.

Forgetting the late collapses and more and by just focusing on Manchester City’s past two performances you can see the issues with this current Manchester City squad. We have a contrast between the old and the new in Pep Guardiola’s squad. With Nico, Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Erling Haaland, Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden we have the future of Manchester City on display. In Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and even John Stones, and Nathan Ake and others, we have the past.

Putting the two contrasts together, there is no consistency in performance. That isn’t a harsh call that’s just the reality of the situation. For every Newcastle display, we will get a Real Madrid performance from City like we saw tonight. If Manchester City’s entire squad is on they can play like a Pep Guardiola team. If parts of it are off, whether it be the old or new and younger players we get a performance like tonight’s. That’s what we saw tonight. Real Madrid knew City was gettable, and they ruthlessly seized that opportunity. But that is what this City squad is made of currently.

Of course injuries and fitness issues aren’t helping. There isn’t any continuity in selection for Pep Guardiola. Erling Haaland missed tonight’s match due to a knee problem. John Stones lasted 7 minutes before injury hit. Ruben Dias looked short of a gallop and Nathan Ake battled on manfully. That has put a strain on the fit Manchester City players all season long, and it also results in a lack of consistency from game to game or with in-game performance for Manchester City.

Summary

Manchester City’s past two performances have confirmed what we already knew. Pep Guardiola’s squad is in the process of being rebuilt. That’s why we have seen such a wild fluctuation in the two performances. But that is Manchester City’s lot this season. It was laid bare tonight by a brutal Real Madrid performance as that reality really sunk in come the final whistle.