Man City News

Sevilla The Champions League Benchmark – Hart

|
Image for Sevilla The Champions League Benchmark – Hart

Man City can enjoy, I wouldn’t say ‘relax’ as there’s still work to do – especially if City want to win Group D, the fact that a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League have been secured with two-matches to spare!

Football’s a ‘simple game’ really when you defend well and take your chances, which is what City did on both counts against Sevilla on Tuesday night in a fine win in Spain.

This win has been viewed, by many, as City’s finest performance in the Champions League, with it hard to argue against that isn’t it? Joe Hart feels that performance at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium is the new benchmark.

He told Sky Sports.

‘This was the right way to play. I think we set up well, I think we defended well and we took our chances well.

‘It’s pretty simple but sometimes we’ve not played to that gameplan – we’ve been a little reckless.

‘I think Vinny’s said it a few times – we’ve been a little nit naive and been caught out, but here we’ve been really solid. They’ve only had a couple of chances and we took ours.’

Was it the best City performance in Europe? He, as he recovered from his own horrendous error against Norwich, feels so.

Asked that question he answered.

‘Yes, I think so against a really confident Sevilla side who play with a lot of attacking intent.

‘They were one of the teams we were supposedly going to struggle against in this group, but that’s two wins now, we’re top of the group and we’re looking to try and win it.

‘We don’t really look to make big statements – we look to win our games and build on what we’re doing. We’re doing well at the moment. Without playing really well in the Premier League we’re top, and we’re top of our group now.’

Now that a knockout place has been secured City know, going into the final games with Juventus and Borussia Monchengladbach, away and home respectively, the pressure is off to a degree with the fate left in our own hands this season.

We’ll not have any worries in these final two-matches.

That doesn’t mean Hart isn’t looking for City to top the group, as he is, he’s already said as much above hasn’t he!

We’re not in a ‘desperate’ situation this time, even if it makes it an ‘enjoyable ride’ at times so these final group games will be a different situation for City, he finished by saying.

‘I imagine it will be a lot easier for us – in the set-up, it’s not as desperate.

‘Speak to our fans and, as much pain as we put them through, they enjoy the ride. I enjoy the ride. But it’s a different way to look at it this time. We can set up a little bit different and we don’t have to be as vulnerable.’

Man City Bloggers

Join The Vital Debate

Share this article

Because We Love Football