Hamburg 3-1 City: Reaction

City’s performance in Hamburg against a side missing several regulars was pathetic to say the least. A bit of indiviaul brilliance from Robinho and a good finish by Shaun Wright Phillips gave City an early and surprising lead. But to allow countless chances and encounter several breakdowns at the back was unacceptable.

I’ve seen much written about the possibility of City getting a 2-0 home win to win the tie. I find that to be unlikely given the form of both sides and the lack of quality City has shown in key matches this season.Additionally, Martin Jol has done a good job shuffling his lineup all season and keeping HSV fresh and on form.

Some other thoughts:

• Shaun Wright Phillips was poor in this match. He provided little service into the middle and was lost tracking back several times.
• Robinho had his best away performance in sometime but it was not good enough.
• Daniel Sturridge isn’t yet ready to find space and hold his position consistently at this level.
• Micah Richards is caught out of position to often on quick breaks or counter attacks. We saw this at the weekend against Arsenal and again in Germany Thursday.
• Benjani’s return was welcome but another injury to the striker was not welcome.