Man City aims high, but crashes
NOT CONTENDING: Franchise looking for global success, but can’t win on home turf
LONDON — Manchester City is on a mission to become soccer’s global power, with its network of clubs sweeping up trophies from east to west.
There’s one major stumbling block in the Abu Dhabi owner’s grand project: The principal team can’t even dominate at home in England.
With an aging squad and lameduck manager, City is regressing in the Premier League while ambitiously expanding internationally with offshoot clubs in New York, Melbourne, Yokohama and another proposed in China. The business was valued at $3 billion when a Chinese consortium took a 13-per-cent stake last year.
City won the Premier League in 2012 and 2014, but surrendered the trophy both times. This season, City isn’t even a contender as Manuel Pellegrini keeps the hot seat warm for incoming Pep Guardiola.
The squad Guardiola inherits after swapping Munich for Manchester in July is in desperate need of a revamp. City’s shortcomings were visible in Sunday’s home humbling by United.
The 1-0 loss was its third consecutive game without scoring; a barren run not seen at City since its destiny was transformed in 2008 by a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family deciding to invest billions of dollars into awaking a dormant team.
Sunday’s derby afternoon was encapsulated by Pellegrini’s explanation for substituting Martin Demichelis in the second half. It didn’t reflect well on the coaching abilities of the man who restored calm to City after the chaotic reign of Roberto Mancini.
“He was nervous,” Pellegrini said of an experienced international, who played for Argentina in a semifinal at the last World Cup.
United didn’t just secure local bragging rights, but barged back into contention for the fourth Champions League place.
It is not completely bleak in the blue half of Manchester, however, with the League Cup already collected and a first-ever Champions League quarter-final game to come next month against Paris Saint-Germain.
But City’s grip on the top four has never looked more precarious — West Ham and United sit just a point behind with eight matches to go.
Guardiola is preparing to leave Germany’s ultimate power for a club 15 points behind Leicester, which has surged to the top of the Premier League.
Fortunately for Leicester, it has enjoyed a quiet treatment room. City’s medics are being kept far too busy by a succession of first-team regulars requiring care.
The injury list expanded Sunday, with goalkeeper Joe Hart (calf ) and forward Raheem Sterling (groin) facing a month out.
City’s defence has already been shorn of captain Vincent Kompany while the midfield trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Fabian Delph and Samir Nasri remain sidelined.