Guardiola did not start with feared Aguero and simply wore out troops

WRONG SELECTION

IT IS always easy with hindsight, but Pep Guardiola’s selections for both legs has to come under scrutiny.

In the first leg, he preferred to play an extra midfielder in Ilkay Gundogan and left Raheem Sterling on the bench, and Aymeric Laporte out of his normal position at leftback when Fabian Delph, who has played there this season, was fit. The two legs underlined the costly injury-enforced absence of Benjamin Mendy.

And whatever their respective levels of fitness, Guardiola surely should have started with leading scorer Sergio Aguero and defensive kingpin Vincent Kompany in the second leg.

Aguero, below, might have been ring-rusty after a month out of action but just the sight of City’s all-time record scorer would have struck fear into Liverpool. And whoever is in their defence, City always look more secure with skipper Kompany alongside them. He also provides a real threat from set-pieces, as underlined by his towering header in the Manchester derby.

NOT CLINICAL ENOUGH

FOR all of their goals this season – 129 of them in all competitions – City did not create enough clear-cut chances in the two legs, despite bossing the possession in both games. And the chances they did create were wasted.

Leroy Sane was the main culprit in the first leg with two wayward shots which at the very least he should have got on target.

In the second leg, City enjoyed 70 per cent possession in the first half but had only one goal to show for it. Bernardo Silva had three first-half chances – one hit the post, one flew just wide and one was blocked by James Milner.

It is all very well scoring seven against Stoke, six against Watford and five against Crystal Palace, but the margins are fractional when it comes to the Champions League and Guardiola knows City need to be more ruthless when they are on top in the big games. Liverpool were far more clinical with their chances over the two legs.

GETTING SENT TO THE STANDS

THE City boss was justifiably furious that referee Antonio Lahoz disallowed Sane’s ‘goal’ that would have put City 2-0 just before half-time.

But he should have known better than to march on to the pitch and confront a referee he has had problems with in the past and one he had publicly criticised a week before the game.

Guardiola is very much a hands-on manager who is constantly issuing instructions, encouraging and cajoling his players from the technical area.

Without his presence on the touchline while sat up in the stands for the second half, City looked rudderless when Liverpool improved considerably.

FATIGUE

THERE have been signs in recent weeks that City’s marvellous season has finally caught up with them. Guardiola’s ‘total football’ philosophy places huge physical demands on his players – there are no breathers for them in any game. They dominate possession and when they do not have the ball, they work very hard to get it back as quickly as possible. Tuesday was their 51st game of the season and their highintensity approach has taken its toll on the players’ legs. They have been good in the first half in several of their recent matches – against Everton, Manchester United and Liverpool in the second leg – but have tailed off after the break and have not scored in the last 20 minutes of any of their last eight games.

DEFENSIVE MISTAKES

CITY can boast the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League along with neighbours United but at key moments in the big games they seem to crack.

It happened in last season’s Champions League last-16 tie against Monaco, when they went out on away goals.

In the first leg, Kyle Walker and Otamendi made mistakes for two of Liverpool’s goals, while in the Manchester derby they failed to track the runs of Paul Pogba for both of his goals and Chris Smalling.

And on Tuesday Sadio Mane exploited a big hole in the middle of the defence for Mo Salah’s first goal, while Otamendi made an inexplicable mistake for Roberto Firmino’s winner.

For all the money spent on defenders, there still seems to be an alarming vulnerability when the pressure is on.