Yaya Toure and Wilfred Bony cut distraught figures as Juventus managed to gun them down

When Giorgio Chiellini scored an own goal in the 58th minute of our game against Juventus, we City fans were ecstatic, and most importantly, confident of a different UEFA Champions League campaign this time around. We were hoping to actually go through the group stage by winning important matches like this one. The truth however, could not be farther from what we were hoping for as the chances of our team winning the coveted Champions League still remains a distant one, regardless of how good our domestic form is.

The poor result was definitely not helped by the fact that our club were still trying to sell tickets at a throwaway price of £5 just three hours before the game was to begin! In spite of this last ditch attempt to fill up the stadium, there were many seats still left empty. It’s a crying shame that a club which boasts of such amazing talent, plays an attractive brand of football that captivates most of the world, has seats empty in their own home stadium.

Alvaro Morata and his Juve teammate’s celebrate after he scored a late winner for the Italians

Anyway, coming back to the Champions League vs. Premier League debate, most football pundits agree that the Premier League is a very difficult league to ply one’s trade in. Although the old adage of “can you do it on a cold Tuesday night at Stoke” doesn’t apply anymore, the ferocity and pace of the league has not lessened a bit. What is amazing though, is seeing English teams like Manchester City playing their domestic league in a brilliant, dominating fashion while getting battered in the UEFA Champions League.

One can argue that City commanded 60% of the possession against Juventus but that did not matter. Juve turned on the style and scored goals against arguably England’s best goalkeeper and the Premier League’s best defence. The experience of the Juventus side undoubtedly helped them to emerge victorious in this season’s group stage opener. Manchester City, although having players and a manager who have had considerable success in Europe in the past, as a club are still young and at loggerheads to find their best permutations and combinations in this competition because they are definitely not the usual run-of-the-mill league matches.

Vincent Kompany celebrates after he forced Juve’s Chiellini to send the ball into the back of his own net

Premier League fans must’ve thought that City could definitely have gone very far in the Champions League this season considering the demolition drive they were on in the Premier League. However, time and time again, City have faltered at the only stage which would do wonders for their big ambitions of staking a claim as the best club in Manchester and England, which by the looks of it, are still a work in progress. A lot needs to be done to change the mentality of the players to suit the UEFA Champions League and its intricate designs which the likes of Barcelona, Bayern and Real have mastered and to reach those sort of dizzying heights, City should not be afraid to fall like the big clubs mentioned above.