Even Pep Guardiola did not feel like picking out the positive of the last-gasp defeat to Real Madrid, but Manchester City did at least see some of their superstars match the Galacticos they were up against.. Erling Haaland scored twice to break his duck against Real in style and the first was provided for him by a wonderful assist from Josko Gvardiol. The left-back had some sticky moments earlier in the season as he played every game and the 4-0 home defeat to Spurs was a real low point, yet he appears to have come out the other side and regained his form.. Gvardiol stood out for his performance, and what also stood out was that he and Savinho were the only players signed in the last two years by City to start against Real. Guardiola used five of the players who had earned a 2-1 win against Madrid in 2020, and just four who have arrived since 2023 (Ilkay Gundogan counts in both lists).. If City no longer look like they have the energy for 90 minutes, it cannot be helpful that there has been so little freshness in the team. One of Carlo Ancelotti’s substitutes scored the equaliser and two of Guardiola’s made mistakes that allowed Jude Bellingham to score the winner.. The Treble may be an impossible threshold to hold any team to, yet the £318m spent by City’s recruitment team in the last two years that didn’t start on Tuesday has to be firmly under the microscope. Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku, Mateo Kovacic, Gundogan and three January signings all sat on the bench on Tuesday night and many Blues will be left wishing the two that did come on hadn’t given what happened after the changes.. Former City playmaker-turned-agent Barry Silkman was critical of the club’s recent recruitment, telling the Manchester Evening News last week: “I think they’ve bought players to be where they are in the league, if that makes sense. How many of those players that they’ve bought get into Arsenal and Liverpool’s team?”. Whether the signings were made to keep City where they were or to take them in a new direction, it can’t be said to have worked when Guardiola is overlooking the majority for the biggest game of the season. While the most recent additions will be given time to settle in, how much longer do others get to prove they can offer City something new?. City are aware that the players who have been with Guardiola for so long cannot go on forever, but until a better alternative can be seen the team will still carry a very familiar look on the biggest occasions.
