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Nothing comes especially easy for Manchester City at the moment. Not for the full 90 minutes anyway, and it’s something they must strive for if they want to pull off something brilliant this year.
The sight of Erling Haaland running, when City were leading, and then dragging a shot harmlessly wide. Or Ederson misjudging the flight of a basic cross, allowing Josko Gvardiol to get past Ruben Dias to give RB Leipzig a deserved equalizer with 20 minutes to go.
It’s just not really happening in the full way that it almost always has. Once again they completely dominated a team without seizing a sizeable lead. Once again, they were linked by an avoidable goal.
Pep Guardiola will not sit still and say that City are playing badly, because they are not. In general, it is good. It seems they are doing what you ask. But the lack of definitive spark is undeniable and this tie is in the balance when perhaps it should not be.
With the Premier League not having particularly thrived in the last 16 prior to this, it fell to City to make some sort of English mark on the competition. However, Leipzig had the stamp of a tricky opponent, quite happy not to have the ball and wait for counter-attacking opportunities.
Josko Gvardiol’s header gave RB Leipzig a 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Wednesday
It turned out another frustrating night for City, who had to pay for a slow second half.
Riyad Mahrez initially dismissed the English champions up front after 27 minutes at Red Bull Arena
His kind of pace at half-time is often Guardiola’s kryptonite, so Christopher Nkunku showing he was only fit enough for the bench represented a positive as City laughed and smiled throughout the warm-up, signaling a reassurance. when the night could be the opposite.
The Mona Lisa hangs out in one of the local bars, though she’s wearing a smirk and clutching a Red Bull. Either she was actually a secret caffeine enthusiast or the article is a commentary on how a beverage company and its intelligence sharing revolutionized soccer here. Regardless, Marco Rose’s side produces hyperactive art when he’s at his best. City’s task was to eradicate that threat without doing anything stupid in possession.
Kyle Walker certainly needed his sugar because it was another day, another variation on a Guardiola tactical theme. And he focused on the right side. Or the right side back. Or right side. Who knows which one, he was all three, and not just in the sense that a modern winger has to drive everywhere. In reality, Walker was told to take different positions throughout, which moved Riyad Mahrez behind Erling Haaland.
It meant City were asymmetrical for long periods, something they are familiar with and which teams are uneasy about, and this latest layout (Guardiola, of course, generally prefers his defenders to gravitate to the central midfield rather than forward positions) arose from the absence of Kevin De Bruyne.
The new thought aroused by that absence had great merit. Rose saw a midfield two overloaded and unsure of themselves. Insecurity led to the first goal, on 27 minutes, when Xaver Schlager gave up cheap possession and from the moment Jack Grealish gleefully accepted it, there was only one result.
Grealish held on long enough, playing a ball straight to Ilkay Gundogan but knowing Mahrez’s run from behind was perfect. The slightest touch from Gundogan, a deft push into the turn, saw Mahrez pass Janis Blaswich.
The Leipzig goalkeeper was soon watching Grealish’s shot go over his bar, while Rubén Dias headed in from a Mahrez corner. Rodri headed wide twice from set pieces.
Rose looked puzzled; Leipzig barely ventured into the final third until seconds before the break. There were times when a slightly subdued crowd jolted with anticipation – City’s high line offered glimmers of encouragement – only to have a crucial pass missed or someone stray from play. Timo Werner moved in, Ederson fell comfortably into his effort.
Mahrez produced a neat finish from inside the box to give City a lift off within the first half hour.
But Leipzig were rewarded with an improved second half when Gvardiol headed in to equalize.
The defender rose higher in the box and scored a crucial equalizer with 20 minutes to go.
City paid the price for taking their foot off the gas and letting Leipzig back in the game
This kind of control – the most passes completed by any team at half time of a Champions League game since Barcelona in 2012 – is nothing new for City. They exerted exactly the same amount at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, arguably their best performance since the World Cup, only to give away a late equalizer. There will always be the possibility of creating a big moment against the Premier League champions, as Chris Wood found out a few days ago, and at this point, it was just a matter of the Germans keeping in touch.
Rose had seen up close the punishment Grealish was inflicting on Lukas Klostermann: the City winger ran over his marker at will, over and over again. All of that happened in front of the Leipzig coach and Benjamin Henrichs replaced Klostermann in an attempt to calm down Grealish, who once again looked as productive as anyone.
Instead, Henrichs suddenly became their most threatening means of attack. First, he headed over Marcel Halstenberg’s cross, one he could have avoided, but if it could be said to be so, the second chance certainly wasn’t. City were split up, maneuvering across the grass and vacating their left-rear area. Dominik Szoboszlai had room to wait for a galloping Henrichs before the substitute passed just wide of Ederson’s far post when he was clear.
In fact, Mahrez had almost doubled the lead in the opening minutes of the second half, Nathan Ake stepped in to feed Gundogan, the captain then zeroed in on Mahrez and his shot, heading for the corner, was blocked magnificently by Schlager.
However, Leipzig felt that there was something to this. Andre Silva jumped, Ederson stopped good.
But the Brazilian did not cover himself in glory after a cross from a short corner, Dias crouched under Gvardiol.
Pep Guardiola was left frustrated once again, with a lot of work to do in the second leg.
The City players were visibly frustrated after the draw, with Ederson (second from left) and Manuel Akanji (right) at odds.