Manchester City averted disaster but their obvious frailties are a cause for concern | OneFootball

A manager defined by finishing first may never be so relieved to come 22nd. Pep Guardiola was 45 minutes from abject humiliation. Twenty months after winning the Champions League, Manchester City were on course to be cast out of it. Embarrassment was on the agenda.

It was averted. By character, by the resolve of a veteran and the skill of a rookie. As Guardiola looked back on a night that laid bare some of City’s flaws, he sounded poetic. “When you are lost, you have to lift your soul and bones and heart and put the ball in the box and I think we did it,” he said. Unconvincingly, City nonetheless clawed their way above the dotted line, into the play-off places.

A comeback forged by Croatians, requiring an own goal but sealed by Savinho, means they will now face one of the monarchical powers of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. “One is the king of the competition, the other is the second or third king,” reflected Guardiola. “In two weeks, we will be better. Players will come back, we have new signings.” But the danger is that their group-stage struggles could soon cost them their place in the competition. Their journey to the exit may merely be postponed. Their prospective opponents, Guardiola said, “are better than us right now”.

Many teams are. Right now, Guardiola admitted, he could not imagine City winning the Champions League. They have at least won 3-1 twice at home in five days, each after going behind. This was fraught, flawed, but yet ended with Guardiola arguing his players have “something special”.

They scarcely showed it initially. City went in at the interval a goal down to Club Brugge: having kicked off in the unfamiliar territory of 25th place, they had contrived to reverse into 26th. On a night when only victory would suffice, they eventually added Brugge to the minnows of Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague in a select band they have beaten in this group stage. None finished in the top 23, which tells a tale in itself. City faced the teams who finished 23rd, 20th, 19th and 15th, beating none. “We suffer a lot,” said Guardiola.

He certainly did: a picture of despondency at the interval, he even appeared angry when punching the air after his side had scored their second goal. He had been booked for dissent by then. Frustration told in different ways. His side had failed to find the target in the first half: so had he, trying to propel the ball to Matheus Nunes to take a quick throw, he instead accidentally hit his Brugge counterpart, Nicky Hayen. A swift apology followed but his mood darkened.

But he helped to effect a turnaround. City were dragged through by managerial intervention, even if Guardiola was only correcting his initial mistake by bringing on Savinho, in part by players who reacted to their ponderous mediocrity. They were, he thought, liberated by their plight. “In the second half we lifted our soul and our hearts were free,” he said. “The first half was so academic. We didn't have the spark to do it against a team that defends really well.”

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Mateo Kovacic equalised for City after they went behind in their must-win clash with Club Brugge (REUTERS)

City needed an injection of dynamism. Mateo Kovacic is rarely a byword for it but assumed responsibility, powering forward from the half-way line, placing his shot beyond Simon Mignolet, who could have done better. “I know Kova is able to break the lines in that way,” Guardiola said. “It is something unique.” The midfielder’s missed penalty in the shootout against Real last season proved costly, but a quadruple Champions League winner provided hope.

Then Kovacic’s compatriot had his redemptive moment. Josko Gvardiol was horribly culpable in the collapse against Feyenoord but he surged into the Brugge box to deliver a low cross that Joel Ordonez turned into his own net. Defensive mishaps have been a recent theme at the Etihad, after Abdukodir Khusanov’s troubled debut, but the Ecuadorian’s own goal gave City an accident to enjoy.

Savinho clinched victory. Guardiola had erred by omitting the Brazilian, packing his team with passers but leaving them lacking dribblers and width. Brought on at the break, the summer signing made a difference. He had a shot cleared off the line by Brandon Mechele a few minutes before he struck, taking John Stones’ diagonal ball on his chest, slotting a shot past Mignolet.

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Savinho was an electric presence and scored City’s third goal to secure the win (AFP via Getty Images)

“Savinho helped us,” said Guardiola. He had been missed as City were utterly ineffectual in the first half. It brought no legitimate shots on target and an xG of 0.24. They scarcely had any threat beyond an adept finish by the offside Ilkay Gundogan. But the German was withdrawn at the break, a symbolic moment for the Champions League-winning captain. City began with seven of those who started in Istanbul, but with ample evidence that if the faces are the same, this is a lesser side. “We are an old team,” Guardiola admitted.

Brugge were younger, but threatening to make history. In 15 previous visits to England, they had never won. They nevertheless led. Ferran Jutgla sidestepped his way past Nunes with embarrassing ease and provided a low cross for Raphael Onyedika to sweep in his shot.

It was a moment that exposed Nunes for the makeshift right-back he is but Brugge had already shown a menace on the break, normally led by the lively Christos Tzolis, seemingly with the sense the Portuguese was being targeted. “We knew there were possibilities on the back of the defenders and we executed that in a good way,” said manager Hayen.

“Brugge had more chances in the second half than the first,” Guardiola noted. Ederson had to save well to prevent Hans Vanaken and Tzolis from restoring their lead and to deny Chemsdine Talbi an equaliser. The Belgian champions endured an anxious wait on the final whistle before their own qualification was confirmed. They took the 24th and last spot, and deservedly. They are a success story of the new format.

City were almost its flagship failure. “We were 45 minutes away from being out,” Guardiola said. “It's an incredible lesson for the players, the club, for me, that nothing is for granted.”