Ten-man Manchester City earnt a 0-0 draw at Copenhagen in the Champions League as Sergio Gomez was sent off and Riyad Mahrez missed a first half penalty. But after a blistering start to the season, this was a poor display from a side looking to cope without Erling Haaland. The Norwegian, with 20 goals to his name in 13 appearances so far this, has been City’s shining light. But he was left on the bench in Denmark, and the Citizens struggled to create without him.
For so long, they were a team that didn’t have a striker. They didn’t need one. Guardiola’s style suited the false nine and it helped them to Premier League title after Premier League title. But now, that style has slightly changed. It has to when Haaland is involved. His direct runs, pace and finishing ability has transformed City’s front-line, and without him in the side they are so clearly weaker.
Kevin De Bruyne didn’t have anybody to pick out in the box and even though Julian Alvarez looks like a top prospect, he isn’t the same sort of forward as Haaland is. Along with Mahrez, who was sacrificed after half an hour due to the red card and Jack Grealish, the trio couldn’t impact the game.
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With ten men away from home, perhaps it is too scathing to criticise City for their lack of attacking incision. This 0-0 is certainly not a disaster as City move to 10 points after four matchdays and should qualify, but it does show they have moved away from the traditional patterns and rhythms that served them in recent years.
Having said that, with eleven men they made a decent start, and they were only denied an opener because of that pesky video technology. Rodri unleashed a wonderful striker with the outside of his right foot into the top corner and it was set to be his first goal in the Champions League - until VAR got involved. The ball brushed against Mahrez’s hand in the build-up and the referee ruled it out after consulting the monitor.
VAR once again got in the way of a wonderful goal. Then it got involved again, this time in City’s favour. Manuel Akanji’s header flicked onto the top of Nicolai Boilesen's outstretched arm, and the referee ran to the monitor once more. This time he pointed to the spot, but Mahrez wasted the opportunity as he saw his effort saved by Kamil Grabara from twelve yards.
It points to another issue Haaland appears to solve for City. They’ve missed 24 penalties in all competitions under Pep Guardiola, nine more than any other Premier League side since the Spaniard took charge. That turned out to be their best opportunity of the night, but if you thought the VAR drama was over, you were wrong.
On the half hour mark, Sergio Gomez pulled back Hakon Haraldsson and initially the referee didn’t give anything. However, replays showed he had made a mistake and after a third visit to the screen, he showed the left-back a straight red card.
It saw City retreat into their shell slightly, and without the physical presence of Haaland up front, they struggled to impose themselves on the match. Instead, it was the home side that started to impress, especially in the second period.
But both sides failed to create any genuine opportunities as the game petered out to a 0-0 draw. It was the first time City have failed to score in a match since April 13, when they drew 0-0 against Atletico Madrid having won the first leg of that Champions League quarter-final 1-0.
With Liverpool to come this weekend, you can see why Haaland was rested for the full 90 minutes. It was a sensible move. But if he suffers an injury, City will have to find their old groove quickly, and remember what it was like before he burst onto the scene at the Etihad.
