GWT: Champions League - League Stage

[Jack Straw]

Barcalona Dormund is kind of crazy

 

[John Price]

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Barcalona Dormund is kind of crazy

Shoot off

My god Frenkie would’ve never recovered from that if it ended up a goal. Barca fans would’ve sent him to the moon

 

[John Price]

Ohhh! Barca score!

 

[Jack Straw]

Beautiful pass by Yamal

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Lamine is so classy . What a ball and confident finish Torres

 

[ScottishCanuck]

I don't think Red Star are awarded that goal if it's at the other end.

There were multiple fouls in the box from Milan there.

 

[bluesfan94]

Saka with two goals and an assist, bringing him to 14 goal contributions in 14 Champions League matches

 

[JoVel]

Apparently Schlotterbeck was taken off on a stretcher at the end of the game.

Yet again this team is f***ed because they don't believe in depth on defense.

 

[Juve]

I would have called everyone crazy if someone would have told me Juve would Man City when this game was announced.

 

[Power Man]

CROFL City

 

[Power Man]

 

[Power Man]

 

[Corto]

I don't think Red Star are awarded that goal if it's at the other end.

There were multiple fouls in the box from Milan there.

Welcome to the world of clubs from smaller nations.
We've lived with that since forever.

It's been 27 years, and I still remember vividly how DInamo was absolutely robbed in the CL qualis vs Newcastle. Asprilla elbowing people in front of the ref, no card. Newcastle players jumping hands and feet into the Dinamo GK to cause a drop, goal, no foul.
ANd that's just one example.

In short, I'm not yelling conspiracy here or anything, but there's definitely a hint of "big club call" on that Milan - Zvezda goal.

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Also, City look awful. Not a "short term crisis" awful, they genuinely have no protection for the back 3/4 with no Rodri or Kovacic on the pitch, defensively they're always at risk and offensively they're just slow and inept.
Gundo is 34, KDB is 33, they're not as mobile as they used to be. Even Walker lost a step, he's 34 too, and very much reliant on his speed.
Stones has been unable to recover his CL winning form, he's basically a rotational player now.
Foden in and out, nowhere near his form from last season. Doku and Savinho are inconsistent and bring flashes rather than consistent pressure and performance.
Gvardiol has seriously looked like their best playmaker playing LB and inverted fullback - but has also been visibly shaken defensively in the last 4-5 games.
Akanji and Ake struggling with injuries, Ruben Diaz with form etc.

They've played the most competitive games in the last 4-5 years, along with Madrid.
It's not a coincidence that they're struggling with injuries and - as a result - form.
But it just seems so slow offensively that there's a non-zero chance IMO that it's more than that - maybe this core has just come to the end of the road. Maybe it's time to move on from KDB, Walker, Gundo, Stones, even Bernardo.
Madrid usually does that fairly cleanly, moving on from guys like Casemiro, Varane, Ramos, etc., just before they start their decline. Maybe City should try and emulate that.

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To be clear, I'll take as much joy in a City-downfall as the next football non-City fan.
But still, feel bad for guys like KDB etc.