The race to qualify for Europe's top competition is on and the 2023 winners risk falling behind unless they can sharpen their blunt attack
This week and next will be very strange for Pep Guardiola as for the first time in eight years he will not be involved in a Champions League quarter-final tie. But next season things could be even worse. He might not be involved in Europe's top competition at all.
That grim possibility took a step closer to becoming a reality after Manchester City's uninspiring 0-0 draw at Manchester United on Sunday. City would have climbed above Chelsea into fourth in the Premier League had they won the game but instead they were left settling for just a point and are now clinging on to fifth place.
Unlike in previous years, finishing in the top five all but guarantees Champions League qualification due to English clubs' stellar performances in Europe this season. But City finishing in the top five is far from guaranteed, especially if they continue to play with as little determination and desire as they did in what is supposed to be the fixture that matters most to them.
Guardiola's side now have Newcastle breathing down their necks, with two games in hand on them, and face competition from two other sides for that highly coveted fifth place. While the title is almost certainly heading to Liverpool and the relegation battle is already practically over, the race for Champions League football is well and truly on, and City risk being left behind if they cannot come up with better striking solutions while they wait for Erling Haaland to return from injury.
Speaking of blunt attacks, United were left frustrated by their inability to take their chances and Rasmus Hojlund had about as much effect on proceedings as Haaland, even though he returned to the starting line-up. All in all, this was a dreadful Manchester derby. It did not just fail to live up to expectations – it could have big ramifications for both sides.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Old Trafford…
Getty LOSER: City's Champions League hopes
City's campaign has already been catastrophic after effectively falling out of the title race in December and then being knocked out of the Champions League in February by Real Madrid. But failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2010 would complete their worst season in 15 years, even if they manage to win the FA Cup. And the unthinkable is getting closer to becoming a reality after a concerning weekend.
City are still in fifth place, which in all likelihood will earn them a ticket back into Europe's top competition, but they are nervously looking over their shoulder. The draw means that Newcastle United can leapfrog City in fifth if they beat Leicester City – who are closing in on relegation – on Monday. Eddie Howe's resurgent side will then have an extra game in hand, at home to Aston Villa, to further increase the gap.
Villa will also give Guardiola's side a run for their money after moving just one point behind them following their victory over Nottingham Forest. And there is a new, unexpected contender in Fulham, who are eighth in the table but only four points back from City after their shock win over Liverpool.
AdvertisementGetty WINNER: Nico O'Reilly
On a day in which City's older generation again fell short, it was at least refreshing to see Nico O'Reilly further cement his place in the first team with an assured and confident display in his very first derby.
The 20-year-old academy graduate has had an incredible last week, flying the flag for the club's academy. It began with him turning City's FA Cup tie against Bournemouth around with a brilliant display off the bench, leading to him being handed his first Premier League start on Wednesday against Leicester, impressing again and having a hand in Omar Marmoush's goal. And he was rewarded for that performance with a starting berth in the derby.
It was a dream come true for the lifelong City fan who grew up in a split red/blue household and he held his own. He kept a lid on United's counters and was one of the few visiting players to give their opponents something to worry about.
"Really good," was Guardiola's assessment of the youngster's derby bow. "Playing there, especially in the first-half, he played really good and I'm really pleased." Ruben Dias added: "He did well and he helped us a lot, and I must say I love his mentality – he's there, he's fighting, and he's trying his best, and that's what we need in this club, plus his quality as well.."
GettyLOSER: City's attack without Haaland
The one player who came out of the derby with their reputation enhanced was the one who spent the last week in Spain. Erling Haaland flew to Barcelona to have his injured ankle assessed by Guardiola's favourite medical professional, Dr Ramon Cugat, and then headed to his holiday home in Marbella to rest up.
He was badly missed. Without the Norwegian, City's attack felt lightweight and predictable. With Omar Marmoush starting out wide, Kevin De Bruyne operated as a false nine and the visitors tried to pass their way through United. It is a method that has worked in previous years but with no focal point and no one to occupy their rivals' defence, they were far too predictable and rarely troubled Amorim's side.
Guardiola was annoyed with his team for their lack of positional awareness, declaring: "The only problem is with the ball we moved too much; we have to be more in the right spots, the right position, and we didn't do that." If there is one player you can rely upon to be in the right position and to create danger, it is Haaland.
City will need to come up with a better attacking plan in their remaining games as they are likely to be without the Norwegian until early May. And if they keep playing as poorly as this in Haaland's absence, their top-five hopes might be gone by then.
GettyWINNER: Fans fighting for their rights
Although this derby showed how far the two teams have fallen on the pitch, both sets of supporters showed this week that they are fighting for their rights in the culture war between local fans and clubs moving to attract newcomers and tourists at their expense. Hundreds of United fans staged a sit-in at full-time to protest a number of recent policies from the United hierarchy, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which further serve to undermine long-serving supporters.
Supporters who have sat in the Sir Bobby Charlton stand for many years learned last month that their season tickets will be relocated to make way for new executive seats close to the managers' dugouts. It was another kick in the teeth after the club announced they were raising season tickets by five percent for next season, and led to vocal group 'The 1958' organising the protest.
The action came days after thousands of City fans boycotted the first nine minutes of their game against Leicester to show their opposition to the club partnering with third-party ticket company Viagogo. The Football Supporters Association told GOAL that the City demonstration was "arguably the most visible in-stadium ticket price protest since Liverpool fans walked off the Kop in 2016" and commended supporters for making their voices heard.
They added: "Prices in the top-flight have risen 19% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while there is an ongoing attack on concessionary rates at many clubs which has led to our #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign. We do not welcome anything which further drives up prices."
While the two fanbases will never be friends, they have a common cause and are spreading their message.
