City-Aus: German keeper in the pillory
City-Aus: German keeper in the pillory
Manchester City embarrassed themselves in the League Cup against Southampton and already failed in the quarter-finals. A German becomes a tragic figure and receives criticism.
The first title is gone – and the German substitute keeper played a not-insignificant role!
Manchester City embarrassed themselves in the League Cup against Premier League bottom FC Southampton and failed in the quarter-finals. City, who initially acted without superstar Erling Haaland, lost 2-0 (0-2) to the Saints after a poor performance.
“We weren’t ready. We weren’t here,” Guardiola complained. The better team won. Stefan Ortega, who was called up in goal, received criticism from fans and experts in particular.
Ortega misses a shot from 30 meters
The Ederson representative – brought to Manchester by Arminia Bielefeld in the summer – looked anything but good when he conceded the second goal.
When Moussa Djenepo shot from around 30 meters in the 28th minute, the ex-Bielefeld player was far too far in front of the goal and had to watch the ball hit the box behind his back. Previously, Sekou Mara had given the clear underdog the lead (28th).
“I have no idea what he had in mind from a goalkeeper’s point of view,” ex-national player Jamie Redknapp said in his capacity as a TV expert at English Sky. He was also criticized on social media and sometimes insulted as “stupid”.
Guardiola: “We don’t have a chance like this”
Top star Haaland came on after about an hour, but could no longer prevent the defeat.
Guardiola said his side wasn’t anywhere near their best and only played second-rate against the bottom of the Premier League: “They were better – Southampton deserved to be in the semi-finals. If you’re not prepared for this game, you’re an inch late and you don’t score. If you are prepared, you score a goal. We have to accept that and improve.”
Weak too: City, who have won the League Cup six times in the past nine years, failed to find a shot at goal throughout the game. Guardiola’s conclusion on the appearance of his stars: “We haven’t even shown who we are.”
Looking ahead, the star coach expressed great concern – in the league the city duel with Manchester United awaits on Saturday: “If we play like this, we don’t have a chance”. The lineup didn’t seem to matter.
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Nottingham Forest with historic success
Nottingham Forest defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-3 on penalties to advance to the semi-finals for the first time since 1992.
After 90 minutes, the score was 1-1 (1-0) in Nottingham. Raul Jimenez tied the score in the 64th minute after Willy Boly gave the hosts the lead against his former team in the 18th. Nottingham maintained composure during the penalty shootout. When Forest last made it to the semifinals, it was under the legendary Brian Clough.
On Tuesday, the two reigning champions, Manchester United and Newcastle United, had already advanced to the semifinals. At the end of January, there will be two legs of the semifinals.
On February 26, the championship game will be held at Wembley Stadium in London. The League Cup victor will get a starting spot in the upcoming Europa League.
