City outplay PSG!

City outplay PSG!

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In the Champions League group stage matchday 5, Manchester City defeated PSG at home, 2-1.

Before the main game of the group stage, Guardiola had one big problem: who will replace De Bruyne? The Belgian fell ill with the coronavirus, which is why the Spanish coach had to let out Oleksandr Zinchenko in the midfield for almost the first time, where he plays consistently with the Ukraine national team.

PSG did not have major squad losses except for Marco Verratti. Therefore, the guests, although they looked unstable during the season, did not preliminarily look at Etihad as outsiders.

From the first minutes, the hosts went offensive and began to put high pressure on their opponents. The bulk of the Cityzens' attacks fell on the right wing, where Mahrez and Walker were situated. Together they managed to get into the penalty area and aggravate, but Achraf Hakimi constantly saved the goal of Keylor Navas and did not allow Guardiola's charges to open the score.

City's left attacking wing was noticeably weaker. Zinchenko had enough mistakes, he often chose the wrong position and Manchester City's attempts to take away the ball were broken. The problem is that due to the absence of Verratti, the guests could not keep the ball for a long time. The attacking line was cut off in the first 20 minutes of the first half from PSG midfield, and all hope was for successful middle and long passes ahead.

In the second half of the match, Mauricio Pochettino's men continued to play on counterattacks. At the 50th minute, one of them went perfectly, as the midfielders of the Cityzens didn’t manage to go back in time. Because of this, Messi managed to shoot from the wing, the ball bounced off on Mbappe and the Frenchman opened the score.

Guardiola's reaction was immediate - he replaced Zinchenko and strengthened the attack, releasing Gabriel Jesus. Curiously, this was the Spaniard's first and last substitution in the match. But it influenced the game as much as possible. Jesus helped the partners increase pressure on PSG's defense and quantify the completion zones. Nine minutes after the substitute, the Brazilian made an assist to Sterling, and in the 76th minute he scored a goal from a pass to Bernardo Silva in rivals’ penalty area.

PSG's terrible game on rebound and defense, when Kimpembe and Marquinhos did not get close to their opponents, became the reason for the defeat. If there were Verratti on the pitch, we’re sure it would have been easier for them. And so Manchester City reserve the first line in Group A and can hope for a good draw. PSG should think about the future, including about Pochettino. After all, a victory over Brugge in the next round and leaving on a positive note would be the best way to say goodbye to the manager.