City crisis deepens with loss to Juve in Champions League
Manchester City plunged deeper into trouble in the Champions League by losing 2-0 at Juventus, the latest setback in a scarcely believable run of poor results for the ailing English champions.
City dropped to 22nd place in the 36-team standings, with only the top 24 advancing. Progressing to the next round of the new-look format looked a certainty before the season for a team that was European champion in 2023 and has won the last four Premier League titles. But not anymore as City manager Pep Guardiola battles injuries and an apparent loss of belief among his players.
City have won just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions, with goals by Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie inflicting the latest defeat and igniting Juventus’ qualification hopes.
City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan described the team’s problem as a “mental issue”. Opponents “are able to break our rhythm with the smallest of things,” Gundogan said. “They don’t even need to do much and it has such a big effect on us right now,” he added.
Barcelona jumped into second place in the league standings, behind Liverpool, and are guaranteed to advance after a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund. Raphinha and Ferran Torres, with two goals, scored for Barca.
Arsenal beat Monaco 3-0 mainly thanks to two goals by Bukayo Saka to move into third place and be the highest of six teams on 13 points.
The top eight qualify directly for the last-16 and the teams placed No. 9-24 go into a two-legged playoffs.
City have two games to save their faltering Champions League campaign and the first is against Paris Saint-Germain, another giant in trouble in 25th place - one spot out of the qualifying positions.
Vlahovic put Juventus ahead in the 53rd when he powered a header goal-ward straight at City goalkeeper Ederson, who could only parry the ball over his own line. Two American substitutes sealed the win for Juve, with McKennie volleying home from Timothy Weah’s cross. Juventus moved into 14th place.
Torres came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a fifth win in six games and push Dortmund, last season’s runner-up, out of the top-eight.
Torres came on in the 71st to replace Robert Lewandowski, who had a quiet game against his former club. Just four minutes later, Torres scored a goal on the rebound from Dani Olmo’s shot.
Serhou Guirassy’s second goal of the game levelled the score at 2-2 but Torres scored again in the 85th off Lamine Yamal’s pass on the counter.
Raphinha gave Barcelona the lead before Guirassy equalised from the penalty spot. Raphinha and Guirassy are tied for second place in the scoring chart on six goals, behind Lewandowski’s competition-high seven.
Arsenal secured a third straight home win without conceding in the league stage, with Saka scoring in the 34th and 78th minutes and sending in a shot that was turned into the net by substitute Kai Havertz in the 88th.
Man City could sure do with Julian Alvarez at the moment. With a brilliant curling finish to open the scoring, the Argentina striker helped Atletico Madrid beat Slovan Bratislava 3-1 and provide a timely reminder of what City is missing after selling him for more than USD 100 million in August. Alvarez has 12 goals for the season, with four coming in the Champions League.
