ROUND-UP
City’s 3-2 win over Bayern Munich has understandably earned rave reviews in this morning’s Press coverage.
The victory in Munich has won widespread praise with Chris Wheeler in the Daily Mail typical of the reaction the Blues have received after putting the European champions to the sword.
Wheeler writes: “City will fear no one after this. It was the night Pellegrini’s side sent out a warning to Europe with a quite magnificent win that stunned arguably the best club side in the world and silenced the Allianz Arena.
“Two goals down to a rampant Bayern Munich and in danger of being overrun, City cleared their heads and fought back to claim a famous victory. The architect was James Milner, who set up the first goal for David Silva, won a penalty for the second and then scored an exquisite winner to cap a sensational turnaround.
“Milner would not have been playing had Pellegrini picked his strongest team. But effectively needing snookers to knock Bayern off top spot, and with one eye on Saturday’s clash with Barclays Premier League leaders Arsenal, he decided that discretion was the better part of valour.”
The MEUN pick up on German reaction, so bullish after the 3-1 win over City at the Etihad, but less so after last night.
Quoting Süd Deutsche Zeitung, they relay: “At 8.57pm there seemed to be a good and a bad news for Manchester City. Good, they had already survived twelve minutes.
“The bad news, they had at least 78 minutes ahead of them with a questionable 0-2 score-line and the unsettling knowledge that their opponents had won 7-0 only a few days ago.
“But 78 minutes later, all their fears had evaporated, the British raised their arms and gazed at the scoreboard at a result that they had not thought possible: they had actually won in Munich!
“The Bavarians had actually lost: from this sensation, a second sensation revealed itself. It was only the third competitive match defeat in the 2013 calendar year, including the insignificant 0-2 against Arsenal in the Champions League last season and the 2-4 loss in the Supercup against Dortmund.”
Finally, The Guardian’s Barney Ronay has the last word: “Manchester City staged a remarkable turnaround in Bavaria, not only coming from behind to beat Bayern Munich but producing a performance of great assurance against a Bayern team that began like aristocrats but faded terribly as City took the points to finish second on goal difference in Group D.
“James Milner made two and scored one in the home of the European champions in a final hour that saw a weakened City team come from 2-0 down to win deservedly 3-2. It is a result and a performance that will give Manuel Pellegrini great confidence for the knockout stages.”
Re-live the game tonight with our highlights package at 7pm GMT on mcfc.co.uk.
Bayern Munich 2 Müller 5′ Götze 12′ .
Man City 3 Silva 28′ Kolarov 59′ (pen) Milner 62′ .
Manchester City staged a superb comeback to end Bayern Munich's record run of 10 consecutive Champions League wins but they still finished as Group D runners-up behind the German champions.
Bayern were dominant early on as Thomas Muller struck from Dante's pass before Mario Gotze scored following a corner.
David Silva pulled a goal back from close range after Jesus Navas's cross.
Aleksandar Kolarov equalised with a penalty after James Milner was tripped before Milner's fine finish won it.
It was an amazing turnaround from Manuel Pellegrini's side, who almost earned the 4-2 victory they needed to go through as group winners as Alvaro Negredo had a late effort saved by Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
But after Bayern scored twice in the opening 12 minutes, the fact City fought back to claim an unexpected victory will give them confidence as they progress to the last 16 for the first time.
Although Bayern and City both finished with 15 points, the German side's 3-1 win during the first group game in Manchester meant their better goal difference proved crucial.
City and Bayern had already qualified before this game but Bayern boss Pep Guardiola was clear that finishing second in the group - and thus facing a seeded team in the first knockout round - was "not an option".
But his team looked vulnerable as they suffered only their third defeat of 2013 with Silva and Milner excellent throughout.
Play mediaIt started with the Germans in imperious form as City looked nervous after an early a mix-up between Joleon Lescott and recalled goalkeeper Joe Hart.
And after five minutes the visitors were undone as Dante's diagonal pass caught Kolarov napping and Muller nipped in behind the City captain to finish past Hart.
Hart had to save Dante's header and turned Ribery's effort onto the post after another Lescott mistake before Bayern went 2-0 up from the resulting corner.
Mario Mandzukic had time to shoot towards goal and his effort found Gotze, who also had space to stroke the ball past Hart from close-range.
By this stage, the only question was how many goals Bayern would score. Hart had made four touches, and two of them were to pick the ball out of the net.
Matters appeared to worsen when Micah Richards was replaced at right-back by Pablo Zabaleta after pulling a hamstring but the introduction of the experienced Argentine seemed to galvanise the visitors.
Shortly after a decent passage of play, City grabbed a goal back. Silva, on his return to the team after a calf injury, tucked in after Milner had headed Navas's right-wing centre back across goal.
After a frantic first half, City continued to improve but in the space of three minutes either side of the hour mark, the game then flipped on its head.
Silva was the architect as he played in Milner, who was brought down by Dante in the penalty area. Kolarov sent Neuer the wrong way from 12 yards.
Spanish midfielder Silva then set Navas free down the right and Milner curled a beautiful shot in at the back post after Bayern's Jerome Boateng had missed the cross,
Substitute Negredo could have made it a perfect night when Neuer saved his shot before Pellegrini chose to bring on Jack Rodwell instead of Sergio Aguero as they chased a fourth goal.
Whatever the group placings, this was an incredible way for City to flex their muscles before hosting Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
How could City have finished top?
•When teams finish level on points in the Champions League, group positions are decided by head-to-head records - NOT goal difference
•Bayern won 3-1 in Manchester in October
•If Manchester City had won 4-2 in Munich, the sides would have taken three points off each other, and would have had a level goal difference in those games of +2
•City would then have won the group above Bayern as both sides would have scored five goals in the two games, but City would have scored more goals away from home (four to three)
Manchester United losing out to derby rivals for Argentine starlet
Manchester City are in a tussle with local rivals Manchester United and Italian giants Inter Milan over the signing of Argentine starlet Bruno Zuculini - and look set to prevail.
According to The Sun, the 20-year-old midfielder is poised to opt for the Etihad Stadium over Old Trafford and the San Siro as he looks set to land a lucrative transfer in January or the summer.
Manchester United manager David Moyes' scouts haven't been the only ones to be impressed with Zuculini, but it looks as though their powers of persuasion have been outdone by the negotiators at Manchester City.
The report claims Citizens boss Manuel Pellegrini will be getting a very highly-rated youngster for as little as £1.5million - said to be something of a steal - because of the financial troubles at his club in Argentina, Racing Club.
A defensive midfielder is considered by many to be a vital target for Manchester United, though Zuculini may be a touch inexperienced for the Premier League title holders' current pressing needs.
However, he is being tipped for big things in his homeland since making his debut for Racing at only 17 - he is yet to make a senior appearance for the Argentina national team, though it is not expected to be long before he does.
Manuel Pellegrini defends Sergio Aguero snub
Manuel Pellegrini has implied that he did not realise that an extra goal against Bayern Munich on Tuesday would have sent Manchester City through as Group D winners in the Champions League.
City came from two goals down to win 3-2 at the home of the European champions, but scoring a fourth goal would have sent the Premier League outfit top of the group.
However, Pellegrini opted to keep top scorer Sergio Aguero on the bench and insinuated that he thought City needed two more goals rather than the one to head the table.
"I was tempted if we scored the fourth goal," Pellegrini told Sky Sports News. "Of course, that's why I sent Aguero to warm up.
"But also I think it was a risk to continue with Silva. He couldn't play more than 70 minutes.
"It is very important to be first in the group but not the most important thing. It was difficult to score two goals and I think that Silva couldn't play more than 70 minutes."
City now turn their attention back to the Premier League as they face leaders Arsenal this weekend.
Micah Richards pledges £20k charity donation after support from Manchester City fans
Manchester City defender Micah Richards has told fans he’ll donate £20,000 to charity after being humbled by the reaction to his latest injury setback.
Richards made a rare start in City’s Champions League win in Bayern Munich on Tuesday but lasted only 16 minutes before succumbing to what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
The 25-year-old looked distraught as he left the pitch in the Allianz Arena and, after writing ‘am sorry City fans!’ on Twitter, Richards received a string of supportive messages.
Clearly touched by the response, the former England international has returned to Twitter, offering to donate ’20k of my own money to anyone who convinces me their charity needs it most’.
What a nice lad.
Monaco line up £17m January bid for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany
MONACO are set to test Manchester City's resolve to hold onto Belgian defender Vincent Kompany in January by making a £17m offer for the player's services.
The French side are looking for defensive reinforcements and have identified Vincent Kompany as the perfect candidate to front their push to become a European superpower.
According to reports in France, Monaco have already contacted Kompany's agent to hold preliminary talks over a move.
But City are highly unlikely to be willing to part with their captain in the upcoming transfer window.
The 27-year-old has struggled to make an impact for City this season after battling a series of injuries that left him unavailable to Manuel Pellegrini.
But the Citizens have encountered difficulties in his absence, particularly away from the Etihad Stadium and see Kompany as an integral part of their assault on both the Premier League and Champions League this season.
As such, it would almost certainly require a bid in excess of £17m to get City to part with their prize asset, particularly given the financial clout at the Manchester club's disposal.
But Monaco also have almost infinite financial resources at their disposal and could well come back with a substantially improved offer in the hope of getting their man.
Last summer Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev shelled out to bring the likes of Radamel Falcao, Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez to the Principality for Monaco's return to Ligue 1 and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he continues his spree as he prepares to take part in next season's Champions League.
Manchester City move toward Barcelona star, but would he get in team?
Barcelona have repeatedly been linked with a move for a new central defender, it's considered a weak part of their team. Carles Puyol has struggled with injury but when fully match fit he'd like to think he'd walk into the first team, but Gerard Pique has seen his form drop off. There has often been rumour surrounding Pique about his private life impacting what happens on the pitch and there's been all kinds of gossip about that again recently. Acording to many reports Pep Guardiola hired a private detective agency to follow Pique during earlier years at Barcelona and he played his best football under the now Bayern Munich manager.
If Barcelona succeed with their wish and get a new central defender then it could be Pique who is more under threat. The defender isn't often linked with transfers but if he was battling to get into the team then that could change. Twenty two year old Marc Bartra is more in the Pique mould than the Puyol one and he could be seen as a long term replacement, and happier to sit on the bench.
Catalonia's RMC radio, often first with Barcelona news, reported on Tuesday that Manuel Pellegrini was looking at Pique for Manchester City but it's not certain he'd get in the side there. Vincent Kompany has struggled with injury, like Puyol, but it's surely he and Matija Nastasic who would be Pellegrini's first choices. Pique qould be an expensive and not entirely needed adition. A less costly centre back on the way up in his career would be a better alternative.
Pique's contract runs until June 2015 and this could be a way to generate interest and encourage Barcelona to arrange a renewal quickly.
Man City plot to poach Suarez from Liverpool
AS ARSENAL prepare for their Champions League Italian job in Napoli tonight, the Evening Standard reports that Julian Draxler has dropped his strongest hint yet that he's coming to England next month. But will it be Arsenal or Chelsea?
The 19-year-old has been showering praise of late on the Premier League leaders, describing "Arsenal as a very, very nice team" and admitting that he had talked to fellow German internationals Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker about life at the Emirates. But the Standard says Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is now lining up an offer for the teenaged playmaker in the January transfer window, and the Special One will be cheered by comments made by Draxler to German magazine Kicker.
"I have now resigned myself to the fact that I am not welcome in the number 10 position here at Schalke," he said. Draxler allegedly believes he's not being given a fair crack of the whip by manager Jens Keller and it appears the situation will lead the midfielder to part company with Schalke next month.
The Standard says the German outfit will expect £40m in return for Draxler but gives no clue to which of the London rivals he'll plump for.
"Astonishing" is the word used by caughtoffside.com in describing Manchester City's plan to prise Luis Suarez from Anfield. Apparently the Sky Blues - who last night sensationally beat Bayern 3-2 in Munuch - will offer Liverpool £40m plus Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko in exchange for the Uruguayan hitman.
Dzeko, who arrived at the Etihad two years ago, is valued at £20m so on paper it looks a good deal for the Reds, but with Suarez in the form of his life this season, caughtoffside says the offer will "receive short shrift from Liverpool".
Manchester City star plays down possible January move to Inter
Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has distanced himself from a possible January move to Italian giants Inter.
The 27-year-old striker would like to stay in Manchester until June in order to make a calm decision regarding the next phase of his future.
According to Sky Italia, English club Tottenham is pressing to purchase the Bosnian international as they are entirely satisfied with newly acquired striker Roberto Soldado’s performances so far this season.
Dzeko remained a substitute for most of former manager Roberto Mancini’s tenure and continues to do so under currently under Manuel Pellegrini, fuelling reports that he is set to leave the Citizens at the end of the campaign.
Dzeko has netted seven times in 17 appearances for City this season.
GOLDEN BOLLOX 11-12-2011
Nigel de Jong: Manchester City can be future kings of Europe
Nigel de Jong has continued the inquest into Manchester City’s Champions League exit by insisting the Blues are close to ruling Europe.
City crashed out of the Champions League despite racking up 10 points in Group A alongside Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal.
That haul would have been enough to qualify from six of the eight groups and Dutchman de Jong believes that’s proof enough that City are ready to challenge for the Champions League trophy next season.
“We are not far off from challenging in the Champions League,” said de Jong.
“We won’t be affected by the setback. We made a few mistakes. It’s all about experience and being consistent at this level. As a group we didn’t play in the Champions League until now, so this is a good experience.
“You have to make mistakes – and we did that this season – and learn from them.
“It’s a shame we lost our place but we still have four cups to play in. We have announced ourselves on this stage.”
Neighbours United also failed to make it out of their Champions League group and will join City in the Europa League draw next week.
With City and United separated by five points at the top of the Premier League and paired together in the FA Cup third round, the Blues could potentially stop United winning anything for the first time in six years this season.
But de Jong refused to delight in the struggles of City’s Red rivals, choosing instead to focus on winning trophies, not stopping others.
“It’s a shame for Manchester because the biggest teams in the Premier League are not going to be in the Champions League but, on the other side, we have a lot to play for.
“We could be challenging United for the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League but we have to see what the draw is.
“You can see there’s a reverse league now. The Europa League is a little bit like the Champions League with all the big teams in there, United, Porto, Olympiakos and Ajax. We are not despairing about the season because it’s still early.
“Winning the Premier League would make up for going out of the Champions League. That was our main target this season.
“We didn’t go through but we can’t let that distract us from our main target and that’s winning the Premier League.”
After Wednesday’s European disappointment, City will re-start their title challenge with a trip to Chelsea on Monday. And while de Jong concedes there’s still a long way to go before City can be crowed champions, he insists victory at Stamford Bridge would represent an important step.
“You always have to prove yourself against the strongest and what is better than a Chelsea in form?” said the Dutchman.
“You have to beat them to become Premier League winners. They are still title contenders and still up there. We are still in December and the next few months are going to be very hard. Then you can see who are fighting for the prizes.”
GOLDEN WAGVENT CALENDAR
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]City should never have let Daniel Sturridge go, says Roberto Mancini
The Manchester City manager laments the departure of a talented striker who may come back to haunt his side
Manchester City's next two games are against Chelsea and Arsenal, which will not only be testing but slightly galling given London's present advantage in Champions League representation. At least City travel to Stamford Bridge on Monday top of the Premier League table and aiming to stay there, though Roberto Mancini has not only a resurgent Didier Drogba and an in-form Juan Mata to worry about but a former City player in Daniel Sturridge.
The young striker has finally managed to show his true worth for Chelsea this season and, even if his finishing remains erratic, his pace and ability to beat players will pose problems for the best defences. Last week Sturridge cut Newcastle United wide open so many times it was embarrassing. He could have scored at least a hat-trick but, though he was one on one with the goalkeeper several times, a combination of Tim Krul's reflexes and a slight lack of composure in front of goal meant he got on to the scoresheet only in the 89th minute.
Mancini has no doubt that composure will arrive with experience. Sturridge moved south on Mark Hughes's watch, before Mancini arrived in Manchester, but the City manager still cannot believe the club let such a valuable asset leave almost for free.
"I know Sturridge well, I have watched him many times," Mancini says. "It was strange because he started out in Manchester and someone let him out of the club for nothing. Given the chance I think I would have liked to have kept him, but now he is at Chelsea we can do nothing. I know for sure he was one of the best young players that was here. I asked him last year when he played for Bolton why he left Manchester City and he said he didn't know."
The usual suspects, money and restricted first-team opportunities, were partly to blame, though once at Chelsea the now 22-year-old Sturridge had to come back north on loan to pick up playing time with Bolton. Mancini would have preferred to send him out on loan from City and have him back as a first-team player by now. "It was not difficult to see that Sturridge was going to be a good player," Mancini says diplomatically.
There is nothing to be gained from picking a row with the previous manager over something that now belongs in the past, but since Sturridge's quality began to emerge at Bolton and Chelsea many City supporters have questioned the logic of the club paying over the odds to sign Roque Santa Cruz, then hardly ever playing him, while simultaneously letting a home-grown talent with an exciting career ahead of him join a rival club relatively cheaply. Sturridge is not Manchester born and bred – he hails from Birmingham and is related to the former Wolves player Dean Sturridge – but he came through the City academy after spells at Aston Villa and Coventry and his potential was quickly spotted.
"If Sturridge was here today he would be playing in our first team," Mancini says. "This season he can arrive in the national team too. I understand the situation with young players, it is difficult for them to improve if they don't get the games they need, but it is better to send them on loan rather than lose them altogether." In fact City did make a modest amount of money on Sturridge. As he was both under 24 and out of contract in 2009 a tribunal awarded City £3.5m, rising to £5.5m depending on appearances, and Chelsea will have to forfeit 15% of any future sell-on fee.
Sturridge and Drogba both scored in Chelsea's 3-0 win at Newcastle last weekend, though Mata was named man of the match, then the 33-year-old Ivorian rolled back the years to confound some of his doubters with two goals in the victory over Valencia to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stage.
"Drogba is still a strong striker," Mancini says. "Chelsea have a good mix of young and old, and that's what you need. Mata is a young player but he played for Valencia for many years in the Champions League, Sturridge is just starting out. I think every team needs young players because you cannot play with just old players, senior players. But at the same time you often need experience. If young players play with senior players they can improve every day
[spoiler]Lena Gercke, Sami Khedira's Girlfriend.
[/spoiler]Stoke are plotting a January move for Dutch striker Luuk de Jong, 23, and manager Mark Hughes has not given up hope of getting a work permit for American forward Juan Agudelo, 21. Daily Mirror
Barcelona will attempt to sign Chelsea defender David Luiz, 26, in January for £29m. Daily Star
Arsenal face competition from Liverpool for the signature of Hamburg's highly rated Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 19. DSSC
Newcastle United's 32-year-old striker Shola Ameobi, out of contract at the end of this season, is a January target for Hull City. Sun
Tottenham new boy Erik Lamela, 21, could be set for an early White Hart Lane exit with Atletico Madrid interested in taking the Argentine former Roma winger on loan. Footy Latest
Barcelona striker Antonio Sanabria, 17, has decided to leave the Nou Camp and commit his future to Roma, even though Arsenal have made a major offer for him. International Business Times
Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole, 32, has told club and national bosses Jose Mourinho and Roy Hodgson he is not past his best. Metro
Arsenal players have been put on a security lockdown amid major Champions League safety fears and have not been allowed to leave their hotel in the run-up to the game against Napoli. Daily Mirror
Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain, 26, says he is desperate to put one over on Arsenal in the Champions League. Times
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson says he fears crooks have attempted to fix Premier League matches for 10 years. Daily Star
Steven Gerrard hopes to be available for Liverpool again in around four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury that has ruled the Reds' 33-year-old captain out of the festive fixture programme. Guardian
Blackburn must wait to find out whether striker DJ Campbell, 32, is guilty of spot-fixing before they can cancel his £25,000-a-week contract. DSSC
FC Barcelona vice-president Javier Faus says there is "zero chance" that the club will sell Lionel Messi, 26, but he also believes the Argentine superstar's contract won't be improved this season. Marca
German club VfL Wolfsburg could be interested in signing Kevin De Bruyne if Chelsea decide to sell the 22-year-old Belgium midfielder. Kicker
David Beckham says he still pines for Manchester despite his jet-set lifestyle - with the 38-year-old describing his spell at Manchester United as the best of his career. Manchester Utd Evening News
Chelsea captain John Terry, 33, who earns £170,000 a week, has been spotted bargain hunting in Poundworld. Metro
more bolox later
