Man City 0 Inter Milan 0: De Bruyne worry, a strange backheel – and a good advert for the new format

Posted by Admin September 18, 2024 Football

Manchester City recorded a 0-0 draw at home to Inter Milan — only the second time they had drawn a blank in 42 home Champions League games under Pep Guardiola — despite two late chances for Ilkay Gundogan.

Inter threatened regularly and defended resolutely but Gundogan still had a pair of fine opportunities to win the game, heading the first at goalkeeper Yann Sommer and the second over the bar in one of the final acts of the match.

A further frustration for Pep Guardiola was that Kevin De Bruyne looked in discomfort after having an attempt blocked towards the end of the first half and was replaced as part of a double substitution at the break.

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, whose side carried a threat on the break for much of the game, could not hide his own frustration after former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian attempted a backheel pass when through on goal 10 minutes into the second half.

Sam Lee and Michael Cox analyse the game.

Attacking Inter a good omen for the new Champions League?

It is too early to judge the Champions League’s new ‘Swiss model’ format, and the real test will come later in this peculiar combined league stage. Do teams actually care about finishing third rather than sixth? Do enough television viewers really care about who manages to squeeze into the top 24, considering those sides will probably be eliminated in the play-off round anyway? We’ll have to see.

But Inter’s performance here was a decent advert for the new system. If this was a standard game in the usual four-team group, then there would have been more incentive for Inter to play defensively. They would have been delighted to deny City three points, and would have been content knowing that their other group stage opponents probably wouldn’t match their feat of earning a point.

With the larger league stage format, there’s less incentive to deny City the win. They’re not competing solely against City, and other sides will play City. Maybe it was a coincidence, but there was bit of a ‘nothing to lose’ sense about Inter, knowing they had another seven games to compensate if their boldness proved their undoing.

Michael Cox

Should we be worried about De Bruyne?

There was a bit on a recent Stick to Football episode, where the panel were discussing Casemiro, and Roy Keane observed that as soon as a player hits 30, everybody starts overanalysing any bad performances. The comparisons between the current Casemiro and Kevin De Bruyne end there but there always seems to be a bit of extra scrutiny on the City midfielder these days, not just because he is 33 but because of the bad hamstring injury he suffered last season.

De Bruyne has actually started the season really well, and not just in a ‘doing well considering’ sense, but like he was as sharp as ever. Guardiola was asked about that on Tuesday and he replied that things might get tougher now that City play every few days, as opposed to just the weekends, but that is the case for everybody, too.

De Bruyne was in pain after this chance was blocked (Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

De Bruyne found things a bit tougher against Inter — at one point, he was berated by Rodri only to respond by asking, ‘What do you expect me to do?!’ — and he was sometimes crowded out in his position a bit wider on the left. His night ended at half-time, after little knock in the process of trying to squeeze in an opener from a narrow angle was seemingly enough to force him off.

With Phil Foden finishing last season so well in a central role, and now back from illness to replace him here, it is inevitable that nights like these can take on a bit of extra significance but, so far this season, De Bruyne has suggested that there is plenty of gas in the tank.

Sam Lee

Why did Darmian backheel it?

Inter had a great chance to take the lead shortly after half-time when Darmian was played in behind the City defence only to make a very strange decision that left his manager furious on the touchline.

First, Darmian is played through and drives towards goal as Josko Gvardiol attempts to catch him up…

But as he closes on Ederson, the 34-year-old defender decides to attempt a backheel, possibly in an attempt to set up Nicolo Barella…

Whatever the plan, Darmian’s attempt flies back past Barella…

And falls to the feet of Grealish, killing the chance and leaving his manager livid…

How were City and Haaland stopped?

Sometimes you watch matches like these, with the home side strong favourites but failing to score, and instinctively think, “Hmm, maybe they just need a proper No 9 to provide a penalty box presence?” But, of course, having scored eight goals in his previous three games, Erling Haaland is precisely that man for Manchester City.

Haaland had a decent attempt roll just wide in the first half, but Inter deserve credit for largely shackling him. This is a typically mean Italian defence with three centre-backs who genuinely love defending, not simply inside the penalty box but also in the six-yard box too. Protected by three central midfielders who can remain close to the defence because, in turn, the two strikers drop back into their own third too, Inter are one of the most frustrating sides to play against in Europe.

Still, City might feel they could have caused them more problems, particularly in the wide spaces where Inter were undermanned in their 3-5-2 shape. City didn’t offer a great threat down the left flank, where Jack Grealish was stationed but still feels overly cautious in possession. The half-time departure of Kevin De Bruyne and Savinho meant City were without their chief crosser and their chief dribbler. Phil Foden and Gundogan came on, with Bernardo Silva moving to the right flank, but that created a less direct City, with Jeremy Doku summoned too late to have an impact.

There was some good combination play, particularly involving Rico Lewis in the right channel, and various players offer a long-range shooting threat, with Josko Gvardiol and Rodri trying their luck. Gundogan had two late headed chances too.

City’s xG ended up above 1.5 — and yet you still felt that Inter’s defending had merited a clean sheet.

Michael Cox

Is Ederson back in the swing of things?

For understandable reasons, Ederson had looked a little sluggish in pre-season and even in the early games of the real season. He had missed the end of City’s run-in and the Copa America with a fractured eye socket and he had wanted a move away during the summer which never materialised, so if he was not in great physical or mental shape there could be no real complaints.

The only hope would be that it would not last, and on recent evidence he seems to be getting fully in the swing of things. In the early games, his passing had been a little off, and given his accuracy over the years any little drop-off can make a big difference. But that was obviously in the spotlight for the right reasons at the weekend, following his assist for Haaland, and he was called upon to make more traditional contributions — actual saves — on several occasions on Wednesday, and he always had an answer.

There are not too many games where City face so many shots, and he has not really made his name as an especially good shot stopper, but he was impressive here on a night when City needed him to be.

Sam Lee