Last night was another unsatisfactory outing for the English Champions as they failed to claim three points against their Italian visitors. Though Manchester City came out with a draw, it was a game they need to win to catch up with favourites Bayern Munich and Roma.
This is the fourth successive season they have failed to win their first home game in the competition and, while the damages is not yet severe, there is already evidence that they might have to re-invent themselves to make their European campaign a success.
There will already be concerns about their lack of progress and their inability to take control of the game over long stretches. This encouraged Roma to move the ball forward purposefully and threatened to pin back City. Both sides will reflect on missed opportunities in the match, with Pellegrini’s at least showing some late momentum, but Roma seemed to be the better team on the day.
Manchester City haven’t been able to dominate as a team in Europe, but individually they have a wealth of talent and experience at the highest level. On that basis, it is hard to understand why they can look so ordinary at times.
They had an early breakthrough courtesy of Sergio Aguero’s fourth minute penalty but it didn’t take long for Roma to bounce back.
Totti, with one elegant swish of his right boot, took over from Ryan Giggs to be the oldest man to score in the Champion’s league. He may not be the Totti of old, adding a few extra pounds, but his sureness and understanding of space still exists whereas all of City’s attackers faltered, all except substitute James Milner.
They are odd moments indeed when a routine ball gets played into Agüero’s feet and comes back awkwardly off his shins and, before the end, there were signs of tetchiness among supporters in the home stands when Yaya Touré made another misplaced pass.
Totti was world class at times and his chip was glorious, Gervinho operated with pace and directness that was seen only fleetingly during his days at Arsenal and Radja Nainggolan, the Belgian, played with finesse and intelligence, as witnessed by the pass that left Totti clear at goal.
Roma showed why they have won all five of their games in Serie A and passed the ball, to use the words of their manager Rudi García, with “personality and incredible maturity.”
Joe Hart had been guilty of a few indecisive slips as he came off his goalline to try to intercept the ball before Totti’s equaliser but the City goalkeeper did well otherwise and Pellegrini was justified afterwards in questioning how much space the former Italy international had been given.
Frank Lampard was brought on and he, like Milner, seemed eager to lift the team, testing the goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski with a dipping 25-yard drive. Yet Roma had their own chances and there was a note of desperation to that late flurry from a City team, once again, searching for the answers.
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