Premier League hurting after failed Champions League comebacks as Man City’s quadruple quest ends | OneFootball

There was no Premier League ‘Remontada’ on Tuesday night in the Champions League, and there will be no Manchester City Quadruple.

Man City had a mountain to climb after a bitterly disappointing 3-0 defeat at Real Madrid in their last-16 first leg, with Pep Guardiola and his ‘overthinking’ under scrutiny.

Guardiola has a history of overcomplicating things in the Champions League. He played Antoine Semenyo in the No.10 role and went very attacking at the Bernabeu – it didn’t work. For the second leg, the Spaniard’s team selection was much better, going pre-January, leaving Semenyo and Marc Guehi on the bench.

The lights might have been too bright for Guehi in Madrid, and his benching also allowed Guardiola to gel Ruben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Arsenal, with the England defender ineligible.

Guehi was brought on at half time, but by then, the tie was out of reach after a pretty disastrous opening 45 minutes for City.

An epic comeback was a big ask but not out of the realms of possibility. Seeing Erling Haaland joined in attack by Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki was exactly what City needed.

Real Madrid’s threat was evident straight away. Federico Valverde – who scored a first-half hat-trick last week – missed a massive chance to make it 4-0 on aggregate inside 90 seconds.

City’s own threat emerged with Thibaut Courtois forced into some big saves, but after a chaotic sequence starring Vinicius Junior and Bernardo Silva, any chance of a Remontada was gone.

As officials often do, the assistant referee initially kept his flag down as City appealed for offside. Once the ball went out, the flag went up, and an offside was given. It’s moments like these that explain why VAR is so necessary, and so maddening.

Silva’s goal-line block to deny Vinicius turned out to be illegal, and with no offside in the build-up, he was done for. The City captain stuck his elbow out to stop the Brazilian’s strike, and after only 22 minutes, City were a man down, a goal down on the night, and four behind on aggregate.

Haaland did equalise before half time, but a comeback never looked likely. Madrid could have scored more. Vinicius could have scored five or six. He ended up with two. Alvaro Arbeloa’s men won 2-1, and for the third year in a row, City have been knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

It’s a horribly frustrating outcome for City and Guardiola. Again.

The instant repercussions are clear: City are out of Europe’s premier competition. The collateral damage is bigger: the Premier League looks bad, City are in a difficult position ahead of a cup final, and their Quadruple quest is over.

Chelsea and City have both been knocked out of Europe with their tails between their legs. Both suffered three-plus goal defeats and failed catastrophically to stage a miraculous comeback.

Liverpool should come from behind, one goal down, against Galatasaray. Tottenham Hotspur are bound to be knocked out in the last 16 by Atletico Madrid after a humiliating 5-2 away loss. Newcastle United have a slim chance of beating Barcelona. It’s been a brutal round for the Best League in the World.

Not bad for the so-called ‘worst champions ever’. They are in a brilliant position to win the Quadruple. They surely won’t, but it’s mid-March, and they’re still in with a shout, which is an achievement in itself.

City’s Quadruple quest ended with a whimper, and defeat to Arsenal on Sunday could snowball into a bitterly disappointing campaign. One result can change everything.

A Real Madrid comeback was always going to be tough. Winning the Quadruple was hardly realistic. Both went as most expected, but it still stings. City are not in a good place, and neither is the Premier League right now.

As set-piece merchants, Arsenal fly the flag. Two teams have been knocked out, another is all but gone, another is 1-0 down at half time, and the sixth are massive outsiders.

Relying on a Spurs Remontada to secure five Champions League spots for the Premier League is not a comfortable position. Well done, Chelsea and City, you fools.