Man City book ticket to UCL Round of 16 with ease

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Manchester City had Young Boys crushed by half-time on Tuesday and their UEFA Champions League group stage marketing campaign is completed and dusted after simply 4 video games.

Pep Guardiola will need to safe the highest spot in Group G however 12 factors from a attainable 12 up to now implies that, for the eleventh 12 months in a row, City can have an curiosity within the knockout rounds within the new 12 months.

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Having reached the semifinals in every of the final three years, qualifying from their group shall be considered as the primary small hurdle cleared on the way in which to greater issues however trophy runs have to begin someplace. Watching Guardiola’s staff, it is tempting to suppose that the massive groups ought to at all times cruise by means of the teams however lower than an hour earlier than kick-off on the Etihad Stadium, Barcelona had been crushed by Shakhtar Donetsk in Group H.

City are one of solely three groups to maintain a 100% file on this season’s group stage and are the primary staff to qualify for the Round of 16. You would not wager in opposition to them being the final staff standing after the ultimate at Wembley Stadium in June, both.

“Of course, we are incredibly happy to have qualified with two games left,” stated Guardiola. “People say ‘yeah, the group stage, it’s easy’, but you have to do it. In life, you have to do it when people expect you to do it.

“Sometimes you’ve gotten to battle the tendency folks take into consideration us. The vital factor is it occurs when folks say we qualify. The job is not achieved, we now have to end first [in the group] and have the second leg within the final 16 house. We have a job to do however step one to qualify is completed. I used to be actually impressed.”

After beating Young Boys 3-1 in Switzerland two weeks ago, the return fixture was effectively over when Phil Foden wriggled around Ulisses Garcia to score and put City 2-0 up in first-half stoppage time.

Erling Haaland had already scored a penalty 20 minutes earlier and Guardiola felt comfortable enough to replace John Stones with Nathan Aké. City play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and ahead of the game, Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Julián Álvarez were all given the night off.

Haaland wasn’t even supposed to be fit after coming off with an ankle problem in the 6-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday but he felt well enough to smash in a third goal just after half-time. At that moment, any hope the Swiss champions had of staging a comeback was over but to further ram home the point, Sandro Lauper was shown a second yellow card and was sent off.

With his team 3-0 down and a man light, manager Raphael Wicky was happy to see Haaland come off early, although Mauricio Pochettino might now be wincing at the thought of a well-rested Norwegian turning up at Chelsea at the weekend. Haaland hasn’t had the same praise he was getting this time last year, but it’s now 15 goals in 17 games for the 23-year-old this season.

“Whether it is the six-yard field or 18-yard field, he has the expertise,” said Guardiola. “We noticed within the coaching session [on Monday] how he moved and the way glad he was. He feels good, so okay. He performed, the job was virtually achieved and so he takes a relaxation for subsequent Sunday.

“We lack today a bit, the sweet or soft [approach] in the last touch or action in the 18-yard box. There, we weren’t good enough but the rest was really good.

“The phrase that defines this group of gamers for a few years is consistency. We have excessive requirements and that’s the reason we’re nonetheless within the Premier League up there and certified from the Champions League.”

The fear for the Premier League and the remaining of Europe is that City are beginning to put their foot down. After three defeats in 4 video games, it is now 5 wins in a row. They went six video games with out a clear sheet in September and October and now it is two of their final three video games.

City had been so in management in opposition to Young Boys that the guests did not have a shot on purpose. They could not even muster a nook. But there is not any disgrace in being dominated on the Etihad as City stretched their successful run at house to 23 matches. Sunderland are the one top-flight facet in English soccer historical past to have had an extended run and that was achieved greater than 130 years in the past between 1890 and 1892.

City, who have not misplaced a Champions League recreation at house since 2018, proceed to make all the pieces look simple. Tougher exams are coming however they’re clicking into gear.