Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 - 2 Manchester City: Thoughts & Ratings

Champions League football and Manchester City - the married couple that brawl and bicker profusely. The relationship is a confused one. Everything is in place for a prosperous romance, but the flowers never seem to bloom. Dissension has polluted the five-year affair. 


(Sergio Agüero nets a late winner from the penalty spot - image via Manchester City Official Facebook)

On Wednesday night in a modest German city west of the River Rhine, they kissed and made up. Manchester City came back from a goal down to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 at Borussia Park and it was the least Champions League-like thing to happen to Manuel Pellegrini's team ever. 

Things didn't run so smoothly, however. Things rarely do in this competition. Sergio Agüero missed a catalogue of chances as his poor run of form continued and the partnership between Nicolas Otamendi and Martin Demichelis in the centre of City's defence exhibited a number of sizeable cracks. Within the first five minutes Raheem Sterling's terrific cross was met by a not-so-terrific attempt from Agüero who tapped into Yann Sommer's arms from a yard out. Ten minutes later, his Argentinian compatriot Otamendi brought down Raffael in the 18-yard-box and the hosts had a penalty. Joe Hart, City's Man of the Match and serial top performer in the competition, saved expertly. Raffael continued to pepper the Englishman's goal throughout, but Hart made a series of stunning stops to deny the Brazilian and keep his side in the game. The first 45 minutes had travelling fans singing the Argentinian Blues, but with frowns, rather than smiles, on their faces. 

Yaya Touré was hooked at half time and Gladbach's ferocity on the counter attack diminished as a result. With a fully fit squad available to him, Manuel Pellegrini is likely to go with a four-man attacking unit made up of Agüero, Sterling, De Bruyne and Silva as he did on Wednesday evening. However, playing the attacking-minded Touré behind that quartet hands Fernandinho the job of two men sweeping up in front of the defence. In the Premier League, that tactic may pay off on occasion, but in Europe it very rarely does. Fernando's impact in the second half may provide a wake up call to the Chilean.

(Yaya Touré passed a late fitness test ahead of City's tie against Borussia Mönchengladbach, but was not 100% according to his manager - image via Getty Images)

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes voiced his concerns over Touré in the build up to the match. "He is one of the best midfielders going forward but he switches off defensively," the BT Sport pundit said. Scholes was correct. 

In the aftermath of the victory, Pellegrini admitted that he had doubts over the Ivorian's fitness ahead of the clash. “Yaya was not 100 per cent from the beginning,” he said, which begs the question: "Why did he start?"

Touré's lack of defensive work was not solely to blame for the threat Lucien Favre's men carried on the counter, though. Otamendi and Demichelis were having poor games and allowed Lars Stindl to go unchallenged as he slotted in the opening goal of the game ten minutes into the second half. The pair had struggled in City's 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend and the absence of Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala, who had formed such a commanding alliance in City's first five Premier League games, was beginning to ache a little more. 

This was pure Manchester City in the Champions League. Hopeless.

But there was a fight about the side in the last half an hour of the game. Otamendi redeemed himself with a volley that cannoned in off Andreas Christensen with 25 minutes left on the clock after Sommer clawed Demichelis's effort from De Bruyne's corner out of his goal. Replays showed that Demichelis had actually put the ball into the net and the fifth official was fortunate that his incompetence went unnoticed. 

(Nicolas Otamendi is congratulated by Raheem Sterling after netting City's equaliser - image via Manchester City Official Facebook)

There was fire in the belly of Pellegrini's side. They knew they had to win after a disappointing week and that any chance of qualification would rest heavily on this result. Agüero, fuelled by his desperation for a goalscoring fix, continued to assault Sommer's net, but to no avail. The Argentine's movement was typically excellent, his ability to spin defenders still there, but his finishing way off. The 19 shots City failed to hit the target with go some way to describing the 27-year-old's fortunes in front of goal. 

Agüero's persistence did pay off, though, and City were awarded a penalty in the final minute of the game. As they say, form is temporary, class is permanent, and the striker's poise was there to be seen by all as he rolled in the winner and sent the Blues into second position in Group D behind leaders Juventus. 

Agüero's stats

Shots: 8

Shots on target: 5

Goals: 1

Chances created: 2

Take ons: 4

Relief and elation made a rare appearance on the faces of City's stars. Their fighting spirit had been rewarded.

Player Ratings

Joe Hart 9

Bacary Sagna 7

Nicolas Otamendi 6

Martin Demichelis 6

Aleksandar Kolarov 5.5

Fernandinho 7

Yaya Touré 5

Kevin De Bruyne 6

David Silva 6.5

Raheem Sterling 6

Sergio Agüero 6

Substitutes

Fernando 7
Jesus Navas 7

Pablo Zabaleta - no time to mark