Manchester City: Paul Merson says it would be a miracle if Guardiola’s side fail to qualify for Champions League knockout rounds Football News

Paul Merson says it would be a miracle if Manchester City fail to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

After losing 4-2 away to Paris Saint-Germain, City dropped to 25th in the Champions League table, a position that would see them eliminated from the competition.

Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City’s Champions League elimination has become a “reality”, with his team trailing 24th-placed Stuttgart by two points in a “last chance” tie against Club Brugge on January 29.

talking sky sports newsSky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Manchester City still have a lot of work to do to get back to their best, but he is backing them to advance to the knockout stages despite their precarious situation.

He also believes Guardiola’s side face a tough battle to break into the Premier League’s top four, with Chelsea not far behind in the league. sky sports live broadcast, It doesn’t get any easier for the champions…

“World-class players coming to the end”

I don’t believe in Manchester City’s return.

Brentford should beat them. They scored six goals against Ipswich and eight goals against Salford, but Leicester also missed good chances against them.

I don’t think they performed well, so the PSG result doesn’t shock me at all.

Manchester City are struggling. The team’s legs are gone. When PSG display high energy like Brentford do, they’re like a knife cutting through butter.

This is a big problem for them. The team is changing and it’s difficult because we’re talking about world-class players but some of them have reached the end of their rope.

Carla: Manchester City ‘bullied’ by PSG

Jamie Carragher, CBS Sky Sports:

“It was like two completely different football games. The first half felt like a witness and the second half felt like one of the best football games we have ever seen in the Champions League group stages.

“When PSG made the substitutions, especially bringing on Dembélé, it felt like… Thierry mentioned before the game that it felt a bit strange in a team with Luis Enrique starting.

“It felt like their best team came on in the closing stages and City, as we know from the Premier League and Champions League group stages, can’t cope when the intensity of the game becomes too much for them, flesh.

“They were definitely bullied in the second half and it was men against boys. They were lucky it only came down to four runs. It could have been a lot worse.”

“It would be a miracle if Manchester City fail to qualify”

It would be a miracle if Manchester City failed to advance.

The setup of this Champions League is designed for the top teams to advance. Even if they have a bad day at the office, they can still advance to the knockout stages via the play-offs.

If you said at the start of the game you were going to play Club Brugge and you had to beat them to advance, you would think City were good enough to do that.

The Celtics have been through that and they’ve done a good job of taking that situation at the start of the game.

I think Manchester City will advance.

“The vitality of the city has disappeared”

The midfield triangle has Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, with Phil Foden and Savinho on the wings. Who wins the ball back? Who is blocking and hacking the opposition?

Look at Manchester City now, look at their trajectory, they are no longer the Manchester City they used to be. They are no longer the team they used to be that chases down their opponents and suffocates them. They used to go out in droves to find the ball and get it back.

These players no longer chase back like they used to. They just don’t do it anymore.

They don’t have that energy, and teams with that high-energy style cause them problems.

Manchester City still have a lot of work to do. They are in the right fight to finish in the top four of the Premier League and while I do expect them to beat Club Brugge, there will be challenges in the Champions League as well.

‘Cities have lost their intensity’

Danny Mills Football Special:

“Manchester City have lost their intensity this season.

“When City lost the ball before, they would win it back quickly. They would swarm us.

“I’m not sure they still have the ability to do that in midfield.

“They started to lose their intensity in the midfield and couldn’t control the game.

“It’s almost like they have to find a completely different way to play.

“It’s been a very difficult season for Manchester City. The league is over. They have a big game against Chelsea at the weekend and it’s about staying in the Champions League.

“Then another huge clash in the Champions League against Club Brugge, who are free to go to the Etihad Stadium. They have nothing to lose. It could be a dangerous proposition.”

Mercer on Manchester City’s January transfer business…

I like Omar Mamouche from Frankfurt. He’s an excellent shooter. However, I don’t understand how he got into the Manchester City squad.

He’s a good striker but if he was asked to play on the left or the right, cut in and get involved, I don’t know how that would work because it’s difficult to play with Erling Haaland.

Haaland is also an incredible goalscorer, but he’s not interested in linking up with the wingers in the way Mamouch wants.

I find it hard to see where he would fit.

Matheus Nunes has struggled wherever he has played for Manchester City.

For him to play at right-back the way City do, you’re going to be in a situation like this every week.

Letting go of Kyle Walker for around £4m, I just don’t get it. Nothing, just a cup of tea in football.

I’m still a huge Walker fan. I know he’s a little slow, but he’ll still be on my team.

‘Chelsea and Palmer will cause problems for Manchester City’

I don’t think Manchester City can get back into the Premier League title race.

In my opinion they are fighting a tough battle to get into the top four. That’s what they’ve been up to this season.

They have Chelsea and Arsenal in between to prepare for important games against Club Brugge.

I just don’t understand how they get back to the top with Liverpool at the top.

I can see Chelsea beating them this weekend.

Chelsea have the energy and Cole Palmer can get into those spaces. I see Enzo Maresca’s side causing huge problems for Manchester City.

The PSG game would have helped Chelsea. They will see that this is no longer the Manchester City of old.

They couldn’t sustain the intensity of their game for more than 5 or 10 minutes. Palmer holds the keys to Chelsea. I don’t understand how Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic can live with him.

I would be shocked if Chelsea lose this game.

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