Manuel Pellegrini says he has no choice but to trust Manchester City’s heavily criticised defence after the considerable setback of losing Vincent Kompany from their Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
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Error-prone France global Mangala is now likely to start in the heart of defence alongside Nicolas Otamendi, who has been passed fit after twisting his ankle in the 2-1 victory over West Brom. There was too wide a gap between players, we were not compact enough and opened too much space for City.
“We are always talking, seeing and working with all the defenders”.
“We need to remain as focused as in last game”. “And the last one is Vincent Kompany, who is not 100 percent.
Maybe they made some mistakes in but I have confidence they will play in the level that we know they can”.
“I play for trophies; whatever trophy I can win, I will do everything in my power, in my sacrifice, to win it”.
Ibrahimovic, PSG’s all-time leading scorer, squandered two gilt-edged opportunities in the 2-2 draw between the teams in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, seeing a penalty saved by Joe Hart and then curling over when clean through on goal.
“When you think of the palyers they’ve got, particularly going forward, they can create problems for a lot of teams, not just us. I’m sure we can deal with the pressure”, the 33-year-old said in a press conference. We are prepared to score goals.
Pellegrini said that if his team were to play tomorrow in hope of a 0-0 draw they would lose.
Kevin de Bruyne has sounded Manchester City’s Champions League charge by declaring they have a great chance of reaching the final.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini. “In the return leg, we have to play simple football and fix what didn’t work tonight”.Wolfsburg now have the upper hand ahead of Tuesday’s return leg at the Bernabeu.
Judging by some of City’s defending in Paris – particularly Fernando’s brain freeze that gifted Zlatan Ibrahimovic the first goal – they will arguably need Kompany if they are to keep PSG’s star-studded front line at bay.
Despite the fact City are seeking to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history, tickets for the game were still available on Monday.
Angel di Maria will attempt to exorcise some personal ghosts when he returns to Manchester for Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League quarter-final second leg at Manchester City tomorrow.
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Nasri penned an extended five-year contract after playing a pivotal role in City’s Premier League and League Cup triumphs in 2013-14, but his subsequent struggles have cast doubt on his future.
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