MANCHESTER, NOV 27 – Manchester City squandered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in a Champions League thriller yesterday, extending their winless run to six games.
Although the Premier League champions ended their five-game losing streak, they failed to inspire confidence ahead of Sunday’s clash with league leaders Liverpool after conceding three goals in the last 15 minutes.
Pep Guardiola admits that his star-studded squad is fragile and lacks confidence after going through the worst period of his managerial career.
Two goals from Erling Haaland, plus a goal from Ilkay Gundogan, seemed able to restore stability for Manchester City.
However, the defensive weakness that was the main cause of their sudden downfall over the past few weeks was again evident at the end of the game.
Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez, and David Hancko hit back to rescue a crucial point for the Dutch giants.
“We conceded a lot of goals because we were not stable,” said Guardiola.
“We have lost a lot of games lately. We are fragile and of course we need a win.”
“The match (at 3-0) went well to build confidence, play at a good level, but the first time something happened, we had problems,” said Guardiola.
The draw leaves Manchester City with a huge task to reach the knockout stage, with away games against Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain in the next two Champions League games.
Only the top eight teams advance to the round of 16, while a position in the top 24 teams in the 36-team table is enough to qualify for the playoffs. – AFP
