"Without a doubt, Man City is a strong team, but it isn't good at fighting tough battles."
During a pre-match conversation, Yang Yang confidently told Zidane his assessment of Man City.
He had watched all of Man City's Champions League matches so far this season, as well as all of the Blue Moon's clashes with the Premier League's top teams. Their poor record in those matches was simply appalling.
Although many people had complained that Pellegrini's dismissal was unjust, the truth was that he had absolutely not been wrongfully dismissed.
So far this season, Man City had played two-legged matches against all the higher-ranked Premier League teams. Apart from beating Chelsea 3–0 both home and away, they had failed to win even one of the other matches.
Against Arsenal, they lost 2–1 away and drew 2–2 at home; against Manchester United, they drew 0–0 away and lost 1–0 at home; against Tottenham Hotspur, they lost 4–1 away and 2–1 at home; against Leicester City, they drew 0–0 away and lost 3–1 at home; and against Liverpool, they suffered their worst results of all, losing 4–1 at home and 3–0 away.
Was that a record worth showing off in major clashes?
In the Champions League, Man City had won four and lost two in the group stage. The two defeats had both come against Juventus, 2–1 at home and 1–0 away.
In the round of sixteen against Dynamo Kyiv, Man City won 3–1 away and drew 0–0 at home. In the quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain, they drew 2–2 away and won 1–0 at home, which was how they reached the Champions League semifinals.
Looking at all of Man City's matches this season, it was clear that the Blue Moon had been a complete mess in major clashes. That was why the