MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 RED STAR BELGRADE

Image courtesy of skysports.co.uk

After a first half scare, Manchester City recovered to beat Red Star Belgrade convincingly, in their first ever Champions League match as the European Champions.

In a match they dominated, City had 76% possession and took 37 shots, compared to Red Star's 3. The Serbian champions camped back in their own half for the majority of the game, looking to hit City on the counter, which they did with tremendous success in the first half.

That wasn't to say they were exactly playing well though, as City should have been at least 2-1 at half time. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden missed the big chances, with free headers in the six yard failing to beat the keeper.

There were also chances for Julian Alvarez, Rodri, Nathan Ake and Haaland again in the first half, who seems to be in the middle of an inexplicable run of missing in front of goal, but all of these were saved by goalkeeper Omri Glazer, who had an impressive game for Red Star.

City fell behind on the stroke of halftime, as dangerous forward Osman Bukari pounced on a through ball to finish calmly past the onrushing Ederson. The goal was initially disallowed, but, after consulting with VAR, the referee gave the goal, as he adjudged Ruben Dias to be playing Bukari onside.

The Blues came flying out of the blocks in the second half however, and drew the game level quickly, as Alvarez overlapped Haaland on the right hand side, before collecting his pass, taking a touch around Glazer, and squeezing the ball into the back of the net, for his 4th goal in the Champions League.

The Argentinian scored again on the hour mark, as his freekick into the box travelled all the way through and ended up creeping in at the far post, after questionable goalkeeping from Glazer.

In between these moments, Haaland had another good chance, as he pounced on a loose ball into the penalty area, only for his shot to be smothered by the goalkeeper.

The Norwegian striker had another effort well saved, this time from a header just after the second goal, with substitute Jeremy Doku also drawing a save from Glazer, after linking up with Matheus Nunes inside the box.

Guardiola's side finally doubled their lead, as Rodri found the back of the net for a second Champions League game running, as he curled the ball Thierry Henry-esque into the bottom right corner to put a rubber stamp on the game.

It was a good performance from City, who'll be happy to come away with 3 points after a minor scare. It was also refreshing to see a way City can assert their dominance up the pitch more from a tactical perspective.

City lined up for the entire game almost with a 3-1-5-1 formation. Sergio Gomez pushed up from left back to provide the width on the left hand side, with Bernardo Silva the outlet on the other side, to be replaced by Doku just before the break. Rodri acted as the solo pivot, with Nunes operating as a right sided 8, and Alvarez as a left sided 8. Foden, who was technically playing on the left wing, drifted inside to the number 10 position.

After a frustrating first half, when City found themselves 1-0 down despite making numerous changes, Guardiola made the most minor of tweaks at half time, by simply swapping the positions of Alvarez and Foden. This allowed the Englishman to receive the ball in deeper positions, and also allowed Alvarez to get higher up the pitch and closer to Haaland.

When Manuel Akanji came on to replace Gomez, City shook things up once again. Doku switched flanks, with Walker now providing the width on the right hand side. Foden and Nunes swapped positions, so Foden could defend as a winger and Ake began to support the attacks slightly more often as a left back.

This new promising tactic, as well as a dominating performance, can be taken as huge positives for City. The only negative would appear to be inconsistent finishing up front, and injuries impacting the small squad, with Bernardo now joining Mateo Kovacic, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish and John Stones on the sidelines.

Nottingham Forest awaits for City, in a Saturday 3:00 PM kick-off at the Etihad Stadium. This means a 3 day rest break for the Blues, which'll hopefully give at least one of their injured players time to recover.

Here are the player ratings for the victory against Red Star Belgrade: Ederson - 6.5/10 - Little to do in goal. He could not have done anything about the chance he conceded, and he amused us all by rushing out of his goal and casually flicking the ball to Dias in the middle of the pitch!

Walker - 6.5/10 - Showed his versatility by playing in both a deeper and higher role on the right hand side. His pace was useful against Red Star's dangerous attackers, and vital from preventing City from a scare.

Dias - 7/10 - Led the backline well, and looked comfortable stepping forward when tracking forwards coming deep. Up against Cherif Ndiaye, Dias dealt with him with his usual confidence and composure.

Ake - 8/10 - I think the Dutchman was really solid last night; he gave absolutely no joy whatsoever down his side. He only improved when he moved to left back, as he showed he can contribute offensively as well as defensively.

Gomez - 6/10 - Had a few excellent touches, and got into good positions on the left hand side. However, his final ball was lacking, and he still looks slightly suspect defensively.

Rodri - 9/10 - The best defensive midfielder in the world has, once again, dominated the game on the biggest stage. He offered support to both the attack and the defence, and took his goal like a world class forward.

Nunes - 8/10 - A promising Etihad debut for the 25 year old, who showed he has plenty to offer in a sky blue shirt. Nunes is a good runner, both on and off the ball, and showed he has the positional awareness to succeed in midfield for City.

Alvarez - 8.5/10 - Marked down slightly for what I believe was an underwhelming first half, but in the second half, Alvarez reminded us all of his quality when playing in the attacking midfield role. With two goals, he has now fully cemented himself as an undroppable player in City's starting 11, for the time being at least.

Bernardo - 6.5/10 - After being integrated into City's leadership group for the upcoming season, Bernardo had a quiet game before being subbed off before halftime. Hopefully, his injury isn't serious, as his versatility and quality are crucial for the blues.

Haaland - 6.5/10 - It wasn't his day in front of goal yet again, as he could've easily scored a hattrick. However, he showed that he's improved his footballing skills dramatically, signified by his excellent work for Alvarez's first goal.

Foden - 6.5/10 - Fairly quiet creatively. However, he helped City keep the ball well, and got the assist for Rodri's goal.

Substitutes:

Doku - 7.5/10 - Bright, lively, direct; Jeremy Doku is the full package. In just his 3rd appearance for City, and at just 21 years old, will likely only get better.

Akanji - 7/10 - Helped shore up the defence after coming on to replace Gomez. Looked solid defensively, and secure in possession.

Bobb - 6.5/10 - Showed a few lovely touches of the ball, and unleashed a ferocious shot on goal late on.

Lewis - 6/10 - Very little time to make an impact, but offered support down the right hand side.

Phillips - 6/10 - Like Lewis, however, it must be said, Phillips is making progress in the fact that the team isn't noticeably worse when he comes on. Hopefully, in a few months time, the Englishman will be a crucial squad player for the blues.