Man City players stray from Pep Guardiola order as angry Inter frustrate

Ruben Dias of Manchester City speaks to Erling Haaland during the Champions League match against Inter
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Something wasn't quite right at the Etihad.

Definitely the home team playing in a fourth kit played a part, Manchester City becoming the boys in cream (sorry, 'light straw') for a night to promote their Oasis collaboration. Maybe there was something in Inter too starting with two players who wore numbers higher than 90 on their back.

Empty seats can't have helped either, with a stadium where tickets go rapidly for Premier League games failing to ignite enough interest in locals or tourists for the steep price they were set at. It turns out that the excitement from UEFA and its clubs over this latest money-making exercise is shared by neither the players who have more games for the same pay or fans who have to pay more to follow their team.

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It was telling that some of the loudest cheers in the first half were for a save made by Ederson, the crowd roused as he became alive to the danger. It summed the half up that the attack - a header direct from a free-kick - was then flagged as offside.

Ederson was also the subject of Guardiola's loudest effort, although that was less good for the Brazilian. City's manager kicked off when he saw his keeper kicking long right through to Yann Sommer in the Inter goal to gift possession back to the visitors.

Ederson would redeem himself before the first half was up with an excellent stop with his legs from Carlos Augusto, and as City trudged off with an injured Kevin De Bruyne not making it out again it was hard not to think of Istanbul. For the pains Guardiola went to to point out that this game would bear no resemblance to the 2023 final - and usually when he says this sort of thing it is absolutely true - this felt eerily similar.

Albeit, without any of the suffocating pressure. Inter are a terrific team and had some glorious chances to win the game; Simone Inzaghi was beside himself with rage when Matteo Darmian raced ahead of Josko Gvardiol into the penalty box with the ball, only to backheel it to nobody rather than shoot as the chance opened up.

Worse was to come when substitute Henrikh Mkhitaryan blasted over from a few yards with just 15 minutes to go, sending Inzaghi sprawling to the turf pounding it with his fists halfway down the touchline in anger at what could have been from another United flop. City never convinced, although the jeopardy is not there yet.

As delighted as Inter would have been with a win, a point is a terrific one for them to take back to Milan with seven games to go. Guardiola has never lost a group stage match at the Etihad in his lengthy time here, and on the evidence of this match Inter could be back for a knockout game.

Jack Grealish was a bright note, producing his best performance in ages in showing drive and purpose with his runs to trouble the Inter defence all evening, even if the end product is still not quite there. Ilkay Gundogan also had two late chances to win it, one leaping header where he should have done better following by a flying effort that nearly made it

Nevertheless, it was a display that has to raise concerns given the circumstances and the week ahead. That may seem daft given the excellent start the Blues have had, but a performance from a team that looks like they have 50 games in their legs rather than five is not ideal preparation for Sunday's Premier League game with Arsenal.

Rodri and Phil Foden do not look close to their sharpest, Haaland was nullified for the first time since the Community Shield, and City once again gave up chances at the back. Some of that can be rectified by Sunday, but not all of it.

At the very least, it served as a reminder that City cannot afford to let their level drop if they want to win the biggest prizes this season. Inter and Arsenal will be among the best sides they play, but that trip to Bratislava in a fortnight contains that little bit more pressure for having given up points at home.

Winning at the Etihad is the Guardiola formula for knockout qualification - it is five years since they dropped points at home in the group stage, and that was a dead rubber. As will be the case on Sunday, City will have to rise to the fresh challenge.