Manchester City’s UCL Elimination Does Not Fall on Pep Guardiola

Manchester City have collapsed again in the Champions League. This time Real Madrid managed two goals in under two minutes. A madness that when in to extra time it really felt like a formality that City would go home disappointed.

The penalty cemented that notion and the game just got too far for the City players to come back to. That brings me to the question at hand, we cannot blame Pep Guardiola for this one.

There was no overthinking, the subs were made correctly and with good cause and we rued the missed chances in the first leg. A confluence of factors led to this elimination, least of which was Pep Guardiola who coached as best as he could.

At some point this falls on the players, there seems to be a glass ceiling this team is unable to break through when it comes to this competition. From falling short performance wise to playing down to the competition, City have proved either unlucky or naive in these elimination tournaments.

One has to admit there is a bit of luck involved in these knockout tournaments and while it has not fallen on City’s side yet, it will. Chelsea and other first time clubs in these spaces know that all too well.

For Pep, the game is the game and as he explained in the post game presser, at some point a manager has done all he can and the fate of the team remains solely on the players in these huge decisive moments.

We move and go again next year.