Manuel Pellegrini tells careless Manchester City to sharpen act
Francesco Totti’s record-breaking goal earns Roma 1-1 draw, exposing the English club’s struggles in European competition again.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said his side need to sharpen up their act after they were held 1-1 by Roma in their second Champions League group E game.
After 38-year-old Roma captain Francesco Totti cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s early penalty with a goal that made him the oldest scorer in Champions League history, City had most of the play, but lacked ideas in attack.
Every time you don’t reach the result you want, there’s a lot of different things you could do
The hosts had 59 per cent of possession, but mustered only two shots on target to Roma’s four, and might have finished on the losing side had goalkeeper Joe Hart not saved from Gervinho and Miralem Pjanic.
Roma now trail group leaders Bayern Munich by two points, with City three points further back ahead of a double-header against CSKA Moscow.
Pellegrini appeared to acknowledge his side were being over-run in midfield when he sent on James Milner for Jesus Navas at half-time, but he said it was sloppiness, rather than tactical failings, that had hampered his team.
“Every time you don’t reach the result you want, there’s a lot of different things you could do,” he said after Tuesday’s game at the Etihad Stadium.