Manchester City 3 - 2 Bayern Munich: Agüero brilliance masks a sour City performance

"Agüeroooooo!!! What a man. What a player. What a result!"

But hold on just one second. Manchester City were extricated from the nauseating humiliation of a defeat to a team they held a one man advantage over for 70 minutes on Tuesday night - a rescue mission launched by one man, Sergio Agüero, with the help of some wretched Bayern Munich defending. 

City fans have every right to be delighted, but we can not let Agüero's brilliance mask how painfully bad we were tonight. 

Bayern Munich are a terrific side. Even without Mario Götze, Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm, the German champions have the ability to toy with and tease their opposition. The £5m summer acquisition of Xabi Alonso goes some way to illustrating the genius of their manager Pep Guardiola, and the former-Real Madrid midfielder orchestrated a masterclass in possession until his 85th minute hiccup initiated an unlikely City comeback. 

But the Germans, who saw Mehdi Benatia leave the field after just 20 minutes, should have never been given the freedom to control the game with such ease. Agüero's penalty fired the blues into an early lead that injected the side with confidence. Bacary Sagna and Jesus Navas provided City's main threat down the right flank in the 25 minutes that followed, but the Spaniard's delivery, as it so often does, disappointed. 

We've made a habit out of failing to build on leads thus far this season, and a routine piece of impulsive defending from Eliaquim Mangala handed the visitors with the opportunity to equalise from just outside the box. Xabi Alonso coolly dispatched the resulting free kick through Joe Hart's poorly constructed wall with ease, and from there on, City's confidence deteriorated.

In fairness, Alonso's equaliser was cruel on Mangala who was City's best defender in the first half. The athletic Frenchman combined brute strength and aerial prowess to come out on top in his battle with Robert Lewandowski, but his French compatriot Bacary Sagna failed to shrug off the Pole as he headed his side in front just before the break. Hart, standing inexplicably off his line, should have positioned himself better, but it was poor defending that ultimately gifted Bayern a 2-1 lead.

An uninspiring second half followed. As Pep Guardiola rallied his troops from the dugout, Manuel Pellegrini quivered in the shadows, awaiting the barrage of criticism that was sure to assault him at the full time whistle. It's one criticism I have of the Chilean, who I believe could do much more to encourage and direct his players from the touchline. Yes, perhaps it's not in his nature to be so vocal, but when inspiration is lacking, it is down to the manager to provide a boost. 

The tie descended into a tedious (at least for the home supporters...) exhibition of Bayern possession as Xabi Alonso and co. weaved through a makeshift midfield of Fernando, Frank Lampard and Samir Nasri. The Frenchman, brilliant against Swansea City on Saturday, is a talented player, but in big fixtures like this, he often fades out of the game and offers little in terms of creativity. Nasri can be wonderful, but he's extremely replaceable, and he lacks the influence and spark of David Silva who, quite simply, is a league above his team mate. 

But in that same league resides Sergio Agüero who, without Silva and Yaya Touré, was forced to rescue his team mates from a sour defeat. The Argentine capitalised on mistakes from Xabi Alonso and Jerome Boateng to record yet another famous 3-2 victory at the Etihad Stadium in stoppage time - the name of the goalkeeper he slotted past, Manuel Neuer, evidencing just how lethal the striker's finishing is. 

Agüero now has 17 goals in 18 appearances for the Blues in all competitions so far this season. He's keeping a wilting side alive, but the club must make sure that in no way does his situation resemble that of Luis Suarez's at Liverpool last term. The 26-year-old has pledged his allegiance to the club on numerous occasions since his move to Manchester in 2011, but a team as talented and as well funded as Manchester City cannot continue to heap their troubles on one man's shoulders.

The following Champions League qualification scenarios now exist for City, Roma and CSKA Moscow:

(Image via @Betfair)

It was a historic victory, one that we should celebrate, but beneath the excellence of Sergio Agüero, City's problems continue to hide. 

Manchester City 1 - 2 CSKA Moscow: Misery in the midfield, potential summer targets and an imminent transitional period

They crowded around the referee after the final whistle blew, but Manchester City's sluggards should have been aiming their complaints at one another rather than finding excuses for yet another calamitous Champions League display on Wednesday night. 



Seydou Doumbia's brace helped CSKA Moscow to a crucial 2-1 victory over the blues who, theoretically, should have been desperate for three points to kick-start their push for progression from Group E, but their performance lacked the urgency, desire and resolve required to succeed in the world's most reputable club football competition. 

Watching Manchester City in the Champions League has become similar to what watching England is like for an English football fan. We support the team, we hope they'll succeed; but ultimately, that hope is false, and we concede that the team will find a way to disappoint us and misrepresent the undeniable quality available to them. Experiencing defeats to the likes of Huddersfield and Northampton Town just over a decade ago initiated an irrepressible craving for the glamour of European football; now, in a way, we'd rather it would just go away. 

The disaster commenced well before Fernandinho and Yaya Touré were sent off for respective misdemeanours late in the second half. Touré stood static as his Ivorian compatriot Doumbia headed the visitors into the lead after just two minutes, and the early set-back encouraged a humiliating exhibition of misplaced passes and mistimed tackles. Gaël Clichy, brilliant against Manchester United last weekend, made a return to the form that labeled him a liability earlier in the season, and Stevan Jovetić churned out another underwhelming 45-minute showing just behind Sergio Agüero in a 4-4-2 formation that continues to fail.



City rely on David Silva too much for creativity, and when Yaya Touré and Sergio Agüero don't reach their highest performance levels, the blues look worryingly average. The former has failed to replicate the scorching form he hit last season, and his fall from grace has left City short in the midfield and incredibly vulnerable to the counter attack. His partner, Fernandinho, is another player suffering from an unpleasant summer break, and the authoritative partnership the Brazilian established with Touré last term seems to be a thing of the past. The pair no longer play in unison and the centre of City's midfield, even with the addition of the bullish Fernando, has become a vulnerable area in Manuel Pellegrini's starting eleven. 

Their respective trudges off the pitch served as a metaphor for where they are likely to be in the very near future, and that is far away from the first team. 

The pace of City's play is beginning to reflect the age of the squad. We have, on average, the oldest squad in the Premier League and the ferocious attacking play that characterised us last season is, like the players, ageing. Although James Milner and Jesus Navas perform tenaciously on the flanks, the former is not a winger and the latter is often incapable of supplying a decent cross. A solution to this problem would be the addition of a lightning fast natural winger capable of scoring goals and crossing the ball accurately; someone like Marco Reus.



The centre of midfield lacks pace and composure, and as a result, City have been the victims of the counter attack on too many occasions this season. Yaya Touré can no longer be relied upon to drive City forward, and Pellegrini's two Brazlian holding midfielders, Fernando and Fernandinho, are too sloppy in possession. A solution to this problem would be the addition of a young, strong midfielder who loves to attack but also maintains his defensive discipline; someone like Ross Barkley. 



And finally, with a player who prefers to go forward and a player who is unable to perform well on a consistent basis, the left full-back role has become a key area for improvement. Aleksandar Kolarov often neglects his defensive duties and pushes too high up the pitch, and Gaël Clichy, as demonstrated on Wednesday night, is a liability in possession and is rapidly losing his speed. A solution to this problem would be the addition of a pacey, defensive minded left-full back with the ability to support the attack when needed; someone like Ricardo Rodriguez. 



Let's be honest, City will now require a miracle to progress from Champions League Group E. Ties against Bayern Munich and AS Roma await us, and if we can't see off the limited threat of CSKA Moscow, it is unlikely that we will manage to conquer the respective attacking qualities of the German champions and Italy's up and coming title challengers.

City have represented England unsatisfactorily in Europe for four years now. Our ageing squad are certainly experienced, but they lack the energy and enthusiasm necessary to clash with the heavyweights of club football. We're in desperate need of some vibrance, both in Europe and in the Premier League, and like Manchester United, we may have to brace ourselves for a turbulent transitional period in the near future. 

Don't judge Manuel Pellegrini on a transfer window in which his hands were tied

It's been 100 weeks since Manchester United last beat Manchester City.



That statistic provides only a small indicator of the dominance City have enjoyed in Manchester over the last four years, the four domestic trophies we've collected in those four years provides an even bigger one. But the flight toward the paradise of Premier League and European success is a tempestuous one, and in the last three weeks, Manuel Pellegrini has been unable to pilot the Blues through the turbulence. 

City surrendered a 2-0 lead in Russia two weeks ago, a result that initiated a miserable run of form stained by losses to both West Ham and Newcastle United, but it would be wrong to suggest that Manuel Pellegrini's problems began on that bitter night in Moscow. Velocity no longer characterises our attacking play, solidity no longer defines our back line, and although I feel Paul Scholes is abusing his new role as a pundit to verbally assault the teams he holds personal vendettas against, he is correct in saying that our players look 'bored'. These issues didn't surface two weeks ago; they've been present since August. 

As Manchester City know all too well, defending a Premier League title is harder than actually winning one. In the summer transfer window, vulnerable areas in the squad must be addressed and replenished with the quality required to improve the team and to mount another convincing challenge for trophies. Pellegrini necessitated the need for two quality players in every position on the field before the 2014/2015 campaign began, but the business he conducted seems to have weakened the side. 


(Manuel Pellegrini has endured a problematic start to his second season in England)

No complaints were raised when Bacary Sagna, Fernando Reges, Willy Caballero and Eliaquim Mangala joined the club in the summer. Pablo Zabaleta needed cover after Micah Richards rejected a new contract, Yaya Touré and Fernandinho needed back-up in case of injury, Joe Hart needed genuine competition after an uncertain campaign and Vincent Kompany needed a young and talented defensive partner to replace the aging Martin Demichelis. 

Fans make the criminal mistake of basing their opinions of new additions on Youtube videos; videos that highlight a player's strengths, but completely disregard their weaknesses. Unfortunately, the Youtube compilations Manchester City fans consulted five months ago failed to acknowledge Fernando's naivety in possession, they hid Caballero's reserved nature in the penalty box, and they ignored Mangala's carelessness in the tackle. Only one player was brought in to address long term issues and infuse the starting eleven with extra quality, and in focusing on stabilising his entire squad, Manuel Pellegrini neglected the potential cracks that could start to form in his starting eleven. 

With an average age of 28.9, Manchester City's squad is the oldest in the Premier League. Yaya Touré was a juggernaut in the heart of the midfield last term and contributed 20 goals to City's title winning season, but at 31-years-old, fans knew that the incredible form Yaya hit last term would never be replicated. As many of us predicted, the Ivorian has been a passenger in team so far this season and has offered nothing to our attacking play that dismantled and terrified opponents last year. Touré exhaled his last puff of enthusiasm in a sky blue shirt on May 11th, and his lack of energy has left us vulnerable in centre of midfield and without vitality going forward. 


(Yaya Touré has failed to replicate the outstanding form he hit last term)

Yes, Pellegrini's summer signings have failed to improve the team so far this term, but his freedom to supplement the side with trophy winning talent was heavily restricted by Uefa's financial fair play regulations. The Chilean needed to bring in dynamic rather than 'safe' players in the summer, but with a limited budget, that was incredibly hard to do. 

In Mangala, I feel we've seen Pellegrini's true intentions for the team. The Frenchman is unpredictable, but also lightning fast and commanding in the air. There's no denying that the former FC Porto defender has endured an underwhelming start to life in Manchester, but he possesses the attributes necessary to succeed in both the Premier League and Europe. Mangala needs time, and in time, City fans must trust that he will develop into a reliable and exceptionally exciting player. 

Comparatively, it's clear that Fernando, Bacary Sagna and Willy Caballero were brought in for squad strengthening rather than first-team improving purposes. All three are proven talents and will provide satisfactory cover for City's starting eleven, but they do not represent Pellegrini's real vision for the team. The 61-year-old today admitted that financial fair play regulations prevented Manchester City from bidding for Manchester United's Ángel Di María, and the fact that Pellegrini was considering an offer for a player as extraordinarily talented as the Argentine should excite City fans. Our manager has an intriguing vision for this club, and we should not judge him on a transfer window in which his hands were tied. 


(Manuel Pellegrini has hinted that City would have bid for Ángel Di María if they hadn't have been restricted by financial fair play regulations)

Negativity has overwhelmed the side this week following their dismal cup exit against Newcastle United on Wednesday night, but the Manchester derby offers the players a chance for redemption. The manager has been slammed with the brunt of the criticism that has emerged in response to our worrying run of form, but the players must also accept responsibility and exhibit their real brilliance on Sunday afternoon. City's troubles have been magnified in the build up to Sunday's tie, but one must remember that both Manchester clubs have underperformed this season, and that one club sits five places above in the other in the league table with the added pressures of European football. 

Manchester derbies always occupy a special place on the Premier League calendar, but for Manchester City, Sunday's meeting could prove to be a turning point in their season.