UCL: Why Man City failed to manage game in Real Madrid defeat – Onuoha

Former Manchester City defender, Nedum Onuoha, felt they failed to manage the game after their Champions League semifinal defeat at Real Madrid.

Two goals in the final minutes saw Real win 3-1 and reach the final 6-5 on aggregate.

Onuoha said: “For City it was more just managing the game. There was so many times in the second half, I’m used to seeing them taking the sting out of the game by moving the ball well but a lot of the players were giving the ball away more than I’ve seen all season. They weren’t quite getting things right, some of the through balls weren’t as neat and tidy as they should have been.

read also:EPL: I want to create new legends, says West Ham boss Moyes

“I thought Bernardo Silva was really good but, aside from that, I couldn’t say the same about a lot of the others. They were playing the game but they weren’t really excelling.

“You can always come into a game as a favourite but you still need to be able to deliver, and to do that everybody has to play well. At times when you don’t have momentum, which is inevitable because it’s a Champions League semi-final and you are away from home, it starts to affect the whole team because it’s not an easy spot to be in.”

He also said: “I thought Manchester City played quite well across both legs but I felt in the second half of this game they got a little bit sloppy and Real Madrid felt like they were being encouraged.

“But when Madrid make those changes and you see their key midfielders coming off, you’re thinking ‘well, maybe this is going to play into City’s hands’.

“In fairness to Madrid, they really pushed on and were a lot more dynamic. There was a banner in the stadium that said ‘Another Magical Night for the Kings of Europe’ up in the stands before the game started and, lo and behold, that’s how it ends up.

“The game it’s not over until that final whistle goes and I think City didn’t understand how to game manage that moment, those last few seconds.”