Man City 0-0 Inter: Player ratings as excellent Nerazzuri stifle Cityzens
- Superb Inter held Man City to stalemate in Champions League opener
- Inter performed as well as any side has at the Etihad in years
- Ilkay Gundogan missed two great chances towards the ened
Manchester City were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw in the opening game of their Champions League campaign, with Inter performing superbly at the Etihad Stadium.
In a repeat of the 2023 final, the Nerazzurri were out for revenge and the wonderful Serie A holders gave a great account of themselves on Wednesday night, stifling the hosts for the most part.
The nature of the new format means Pep Guardiola won't be concerned by the dropped points at home, but his side must produce a slicker performance when they take on Arsenal in Manchester on Sunday. Inter, meanwhile, take on an out-of-sorts Milan in the Derby della Madonnina this weekend.
How the match unfolded
There was hardly a grand sense of occasion inside the Etihad despite the presence of two of the competition's favourites, and Inter gave the City faithful little reason to ramp up the noise as they produced an excellent first half display.
The visitors defended stoutly in their 5-3-2 block, but they were ever so confident in possession and their positional fluidity flummoxed a typically suffocating City press. Inter had plenty of joy building through the thirds and breaking through the hosts' midfield, but sub-par decision-making and execution in the final third meant they were reduced to relatively low-quality chances.
Still, very rarely do we see teams stifle City in the manner Inter did in the first half on Sunday. Simone Inzaghi's side were never hanging on, with Yann Sommer being tested infrequently. Guardiola's men produced little of note, although Erling Haaland did come close on a couple of occasions.
It was all to play for in the second period as the two sides entered half-time goalless, with Guardiola opting for a double-change in a bid to inspire the tepid hosts. There was no dynamic shift, though, as Inter continued to stifle the hosts while boasting a distinct threat in transition.
Phil Foden did have a close-range shot saved after his half-time entrance, while Matteo Darmian opted against shooting when bearing down on Ederson's goal having been played through expertly by Mehdi Taremi.
It wasn't until the dying embers that it felt as if the visitors were starting to cling on. City finally ramped up the intensity and were able to sustain attacks, and they should've snatched the tie late on but Ilkay Gundogan spurned a couple of glorious headed chances.
Man City player ratings (4-1-4-1)
GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Inter's finishing was pretty poor, with Ederson having to deal with pretty tame efforts.
RB: Rico Lewis - 6/10 - Rarely operated in the right-back zone as he sought to have an influence from between the lines. Attempted to overload Inter in the right half-space, but didn't have much success.
CB: Manuel Akanji - 7/10 - Had plenty of defending to do, but Akanji defended the counter-attack well. Recovery running and tactical fouls came in handy.
CB: Ruben Dias - 7/10 - Often got the better of Marcus Thuram when the pair battled physically, and commanded his line well to ensure Inter were often caught offside.
LB: Josko Gvardiol - 6/10 - An up-and-down performance from Gvardiol. While his proactivity allowed City to break at times, Inter did have joy breaking down his side in the second half.
CM: Rodri - 7/10 - There was a little bit of rust on his first start of the season. Rodri was efficient without being spectacular in possession, and he wasn't his usual dominant self at transitions.
RM: Savinho - 6/10 - City turned to the Brazilian as their primary outlet in the opening period, but the crafty winger was often met with double- and triple-teams. Inter marshalled him well.
AM: Bernardo Silva - 5/10 - Struggled to affect proceedings from multiple zones and was withdrawn late on for the more direct Jeremy Doku.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne - 4/10 - His half-time withdrawal may have been enforced, but De Bruyne was off-colour in the opening period. The Belgian committed errors in every third of the pitch. Timed his darts in behind well, at least.
LM: Jack Grealish - 6/10 - Another who faced multiple bodies whenever he got the ball, Grealish huffed and puffed without much reward.
ST: Erling Haaland - 6/10 - The big fella started brightly, and came close on a couple of occasions, but he was completely anonymous in the second-half.
Substitutes
SUB: Ilkay Gundogan (46' for De Bruyne) - 7/10
SUB: Phil Foden (46' for Savinho) - 5/10
SUB: Jeremy Doku (80' for Bernardo) - 6/10
Subs not used: Scott Carson (GK), Stefan Ortega (GK), John Stones, Kyle Walker, James McAtee, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes.
Manager
Pep Guardiola - 5/10 - His team were stifled, and, as was the case in Istanbul less than 18 months ago, outplayed. However, City didn't earn the desired result on this occasion.
Inter player ratings (3-5-2)
GK: Yann Sommer - 8/10 - Surprisingly quiet, but was needed on occasions and he didn't let his side down. Safe hands, and was generally excellent with his feet.
CB: Yan Bisseck - 8/10 - Not many projected his inclusion in Inzaghi's XI, but the young defender vindicated the manager's faith. Defended his channel excellently throughout, and was ever so cool in possession.
CB: Francesco Acerbi - 8/10 - Inter's ambition was epitomised by the positions Acerbi occasionally found himself in. The wily veteran defended his box superbly, too.
CB: Alessandro Bastoni - 9/10 - Guilty of a dangerous giveaway at the start of the second half, but Bastoni didn't put a foot wrong otherwise. So elegant with the ball, and a stern customer without it.
RWB: Matteo Darmian - 6/10 - Why didn't he shoot?!
CM: Nicolo Barella - 9/10 - The Inter captain on the night set the tone early with a perfect 15 minutes in which he almost single-handedly got his team up the pitch on the counter. So clever in possession, with the Italian's ability to play off one and two touches allowing Inter to break at will.
CM: Hakan Calhanoglu - 8/10 - Inter's regista produced a masterful showing at the base of midfield. Calhanoglu was happy to receive the ball no matter the position he was in, and his distribution from difficult spots was brilliant. One of the best in the business right now.
CM: Piotr Zielinski - 7/10 - Had some lovely moments during his hour cameo. Like his teammates, Zielinski never wilted in the face of City pressure, and he was shrewd when forced to defend the transition.
LWB: Carlos Augusto - 7/10 - A willing runner down the left, and he stuck to his task well defensively - even if he did have plenty of support.
ST: Marcus Thuram - 6/10 - Linked up well with Barella which allowed Inter to counter City, but Thuram's execution in the final third was poor. Caught offside on several occasions, too.
ST: Mehdi Taremi - 7/10 - Taremi was efficient on the breakway, operating more as a facilitator than a finisher. The fact he lasted the full 90 was indicative of his performance.
Substitutes
SUB: Lautaro Martinez (65' for Thuram) - 6/10
SUB: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (65' for Zielinski) - 6/10
SUB: Benjamin Pavard (74' for Bisseck) - 5/10
SUB: Denzel Dumfries (74' for Darmian) - 5/10
SUB: Davide Frattesi (82' for Calhanoglu) - 5/10
Subs not used: Raffaele Di Gennaro (GK), Josep Martinez (GK), Stefan De Vrij, Kristjan Asslani.
Manager
Simone Inzaghi - 9/10 - When was the last time you saw a team perform like this at the Etihad? They weren't even full strength!
