Soccer

Fans' Uefa apathy leaves City at sea

23 September 2018 - 00:00 By The Daily Telegraph

The reaction at Manchester City to the shocking Champions League defeat to Lyon is that it has to be a wake-up call. Manager Pep Guardiola has already warned - first privately, then publicly - against complacency and he has been proven right.
Guardiola was at it again late this week at City's training ground as the squad went through a recovery session, demanding that there has to be a response after such a lacklustre performance. It also follows on from his anger over the way his team played, albeit in winning, at home to Fulham last weekend.
FLAT ATMOSPHERE
"It is hard to explain," said midfielder Fernandinho, who was at fault for both goals, after the 2-1 opening Group F defeat.
"We didn't start well. When we woke up it was so late. We conceded two goals and in that competition we can't win like this. We hope that next time it won't happen."
If that is the alarm sounding on the pitch then what about off it?
It is hard not to conclude that the flatness of City's performance was affected by the flatness of the atmosphere and the bare fact that there were just 40,111 fans inside the Etihad Stadium, a number of whom left before the end.
That is a remarkable 14,000 down on the average Premier League attendance at the stadium, adding further evidence to the theory that despite qualifying for the Champions League for eight successive campaigns - the longest current run of any English club - City, or rather their fans, continue to refuse to fully embrace the competition.
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT
Guardiola has claimed that if he does eventually win the Champions League at City it will probably be his greatest achievement as a manager, and that speaks to the fact that not only are they a relatively "new" club but they do not have the history or love for the competition that is felt at Barcelona or Bayern Munich. Critics will scoff at that, given the financial outlay at City, but the theory remains.
The Catalan is understood to continue to be bemused by the response of the City fans, not least because he knows how much winning the Champions League would mean to the owners, but also how it will help propel them onto a new level as a true European superpower and a dominant force in football. It would bolster City's identity.
The major reasons behind the fans' apathy are well-rehearsed and as much as City work hard to remove them there is the undeniable sense that the antipathy towards Uefa is as strong as ever and may ultimately have a damaging effect on the team's chances.
The Champions League anthem was booed again before the Lyon game and there is little sign of that going away despite Guardiola having previously asked the fans to stop following a bizarre threat of a Uefa sanction.
Uefa action is at the heart of City feeling - predating even the punishment meted out for financial fair play breaches - with the fans believing with some justification that their club has been unfairly dealt with. But it has to stop.
City recently launched an initiative - "City Matters" - to allow fans to meet senior figures at the club up to four times a year.
It would be wise if there was an attempt at some kind of rapprochement over their attitude towards the Champions League because it would appear to be having an effect. On and off the pitch...

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