Match Focus: Individual Brilliance from Juve Leaves City in Same Predicament

It seemed like it was going to be the night that Manchester City finally moved onto another level, only for Paul Pogba and Juventus to re-emphasise their level - and again leave Manuel Pellegrini’s side way behind where they want to be.

That is one of two particularly galling things about this 2-1 defeat for the Premier League leaders, and why Juventus should be praised for just about playing the percentages.

Had City held on to their 1-0 lead from Giorgio Chiellini’s harshly permitted own goal, it would have been a victory to finally set up an entire Champions League campaign, rather than once more leaving them chasing.

Their big problem, after all, has been so quickly losing ground on the group’s main rivals and then leaving themselves with little time to put it right, before maybe scraping through to draw Barcelona. Yet, here they were, in the first game, at home, leading and fairly comfortable against last season’s runners-up.

Finish the job, and they would have made it so much easier for themselves to finish first in the group. It would have afforded them a more forgiving second-round draw, too, while also fostering a sense of progress and evolution.

Instead, they succumbed to many of the same old problems - but there was still one big difference.

This was not City getting outclassed, as happened against Bayern Munich in 2013/14 and - to a slightly lesser extent – 2014/15. And that is the second most galling thing.

At 1-0, Raheem Sterling had the chance to put the game beyond doubt, only for Gigi Buffon to pull off the kind of save that has defined his career. Even then, though, City still had enough control to feel comfortable. They still should have seen the game out.

That is one of a few things Pellegrini got right. “It was not a tactical problem,” he told broadcasters after the match. He was right. City won the tactical battle.

They had more of the ball, at 55.2%, and also used it well. They had 13 shots compared to Juventus’ 10, while 39% of theirs were on target compared to 30% of the Italians, indicating that they were also working themselves into better positions.

One of their better chances was also sent wildly off target by a slightly stage-frightened Wilfried Bony.

In short, they did enough in general play to win. They opened Juventus and created superior opportunities. Had it gone as normal, they would have won. It didn't, as Pellegrini pointed out.

“I think it was a strange game. I don’t think we deserved to lose. We played better than Juventus. We had three clear opportunities to score. Buffon made some very good saves and I think we were very unlucky, especially for the first goal.”

‘Unlucky’ is one way to describe that Juventus equaliser.

Unbelievably brilliant is another.

If City just about had the better of the 90 minutes, Pogba provided by far the best moment of the match with his exquisite ball for Mario Mandzukic.

There’s no overstating that either. It was simply the perfect pass, at a particularly important moment. The delivery just begged to be hit, but also beguiled the defender. While the arch of the ball ensured Eliaquim Mangala couldn’t even try to head it, the pace of it meant Mandzukic barely needed to try and steer it. The former was left scrambling to get any touch on it, while the latter was left with an easy touch.

That was where the game changed. It wasn’t due to City being out-thought, or Juventus being cannier. It was one team wasting their dominance, and one young player showing why he is being tipped to dominate world football.

Mandzukic, after all, scored with his only shot of the match.

From there, City did succumb to more familiar issues, as a nervousness again spread through the team. That afforded Alvaro Morata the chance to win the game, although he still had an awful lot to do with a brilliant effort.

In that, Juventus were more clinical with the actual good opportunities they created. That was the big difference, and why this City defeat was slightly different to previous failures, even if it leaves them facing the same predicament.

Did City deserve more from Tuesday's night's defeat to Juventus? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below