ARCTIC BLAST!
Pep lays into ‘fragile’ City flops after shock defeat by minnows
PEP GUARDIOLA admitted Manchester City are fragile after a shock defeat in the Arctic Circle — but insisted they are not playing as poorly as results suggest.
Norwegian minnows Bodo/glimt rocked City 3-1 in a blow to Guardiola’s hopes of a smooth passage into the Champions League’s last 16. Rodri was also sent off on a dismal night for City.
‘Of course we lost and everything since the new year is against (us),’ Guardiola said. ‘We have the feeling that everything is going wrong in many details and we have to try and change it.
‘We arrived without important players and they are a little bit fragile like they were last season in a certain period.’
City striker Erling Haaland said: ‘We did our best but there’s something that’s missing. It’s embarrassing.’
MANCHESTER CITY had been just north of the Arctic Circle before, a friendly in 1994 when Uwe Rosler led the line and Brian Horton was in charge. Bodo/glimt beat them 5-1 and the result goes down in infamy.
This, however, was on a completely different scale of shame. It was hold-my-beer territory as City’s youngest line-up in Champions League history froze on a plastic pitch.
A spot in the top eight now in serious jeopardy, the captain on the night Rodri sent off, Erling Haaland squandering chances and blaming others. A central defender in Max Alleyne hung out to dry. Rayan Ait-nouri at right back for reasons unknown.
Yes, Bodo battered Roma in the Conference League while Jose Mourinho was boss, but they had never won a game in this competition. At around 55,000, the fishing town has a population that would fit inside the Etihad Stadium. Their last competitive game had been six weeks ago and the Norwegian league doesn’t start until March.
All that made this one of the worst evenings of Pep Guardiola’s decade-long reign. City, amazingly, have won just two of their last seven games — and one of those was against Exeter City.
A display so abject on the back of the dismal performance at Old Trafford on Saturday could not have been predicted. Not to this extent, anyway. Not with this manager or these players. Even with a heavy injury list, especially at the back, there is real shock at how City have unravelled. Marc Guehi has a fair bit on his plate to shore up a bereft back four. And, seemingly overnight, the likes of Haaland and Phil Foden look physically and mentally shot.
In the seconds running up to Kasper Hogh’s opening goal, Horton messaged Daily Mail
Sport laughing that he was watching this game in the hope of erasing memories of his afternoon on the peninsula 26 years ago.
In what seemed a relaxed atmosphere in temperatures not as harsh as advertised, City staff were taking pictures of the sunset over the sea in the mid-afternoon, before the evening turned ugly.
Hogh’s first, after 22 minutes, came as Alleyne went to engage in a duel he’d never win. Rico Lewis didn’t stop the cross, Hogh heading in. City and Alleyne were so shellshocked that the 20-yearold — who was on loan at Watford up until a fortnight ago — soon lost his bearings, allowing Jens Petter Hauge to pick his pocket and Hogh to double the lead just seconds later.
Hogh is a target for Norwich City, but he may have the pick of brighter lights now.
A disorientated Alleyne had gifted possession when facing his own goal but that Bodo could walk the ball in thereafter spoke volumes of those around him.
Haaland threw his arms in anger at the capitulation, although he barely held anything up all night himself, which didn’t allow City room to breathe.
Alleyne, Haaland and Abdukodir Khusanov all fluffed huge opportunities for City yet the Norwegians were continuing to rampage forward themselves. Once Rodri gave the ball away and then waved Hauge on his merry way while sauntering in unchecked from the left flank to beautifully curl beyond City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the game was done.
Rodri’s race was run soon after, two bookings for fouls caused by the match appearing to be too quick for him. Caught flatfooted, he wasn’t at the pace of moves as they unfolded and it looks like being some time before the 2024 Ballon d’or winner returns to anywhere near his best.
Hauge struck the bar, Bodo saw two goals ruled out for offside, while Rayan Cherki had driven in from the edge of the box.
But what does this mean for City now? It heaps additional pressure on the arrival of
Galatasaray next week, the final game of this stage, and there are stars whose stocks have plummeted over recent days.
Horton allowed his players a decent night out in Norway’s capital, Oslo, before going home all those years ago. This, though, was just sobering.
BODO/GLIMT (4-3-3): Haikin 6.5; Sjovold 8, Bjortuft 8, Gundersen 7, Bjorkan 7; Evjen 7 (Saltnes 76min), Berg 7.5, Fet 7 (Maatta 82); Blomberg 7 (Auklend 75, 6), Hogh 8.5 (Helmersen 75, 6), HAUGE 9. Scorers: Hogh 22, 24, Hauge 58.
Booked: None.
Manager: Kjetil Knutsen 8.
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Donnarumma 5.5; Ait-nouri 5, Khusanov 5, Alleyne 4, O’reilly 5; Rodri 4; Cherki 6, Lewis 5, Reijnders 5, Foden 4.5 (Marmoush 70, 6); Haaland 4. Scorer: Cherki 60.
Booked: Rodri, Cherki. Sent off: Rodri. Manager: Pep Guardiola 5.
Referee: Sven Jablonski (Ger) 6.