Taking stock of the English teams in the Champions League on a wet Thursday morning after a busy international week which brought two wins and two defeats for the teams representing the Premier League, the former football pro turned football pundit is still trying to get to grips with what happened at the Parc des Princes.
“I'm banging my head against the wall here. You're 2-0 up and coasting and you end up losing the match 4-2. The pressure is on for Manchester City now, if they lose, they’re done, that’s it. It's bonkers. It's something I never thought would happen and I think they're the ones who need it the most out of anybody because they've got no chance of winning the Premier League title. This is what they've got to play for at the moment. Of course, I'd love them to qualify because they're a fantastic football team and they've got some fantastic players. It's not looking good at the moment but fingers crossed they can get a result next week and they can qualify.”
Manchester City need to get a result against Belgian outfit Club Bruges on home soil which on paper looks doable. The Citizens hammered Bruges 4-1 and 5-1 in the Champions League’s old format back in 2021. But that was a Man City side on top of their game. It’s a different kettle of fish in 2025.
“There's a big confidence issue there and people say to me, “why is there a confidence issue because of how many Premier League titles they have won and all that. But it can happen because you're human. Things like this happen in football. You can be so good for three, four years and then all of a sudden you can have another run where things go against you. That's what's happening at the moment,” Morrison adds while still believing Pep Guardiola is the right man for the job.
“Maybe it's an aging squad? You can see with their recruitment in January, they're trying to look young and trying to change the squad, so, there is a lot going on at Man City. But still, they could have the best players in the world and they have got some of the best players in the world, if you're not scoring goals or not defending well, your confidence does drop. Like against PSG, you're winning 2-0, you think you're comfortable and then you end up losing 4-2.
“Now you go into the next game and you're low on confidence, so it's going to be really difficult. They've just got to keep going and luckily for them, and I still maintain that; they have got the best manager in world football that can probably help them through this situation. If it was any other manager, you'd think to yourself, ‘could he get them out of it?’, but with Guardiola we know he's the best manager and can get them out of this strange situation.”
At the other end of the spectrum, Liverpool are still pushing all resistance aside as the only team yet to drop a single point and once again, Morrison points to the sidelines.
“What Arne Slot's done at that football club, since the great Jürgen Klopp left, is a fantastic job. I think there's been a breath of fresh air. They're so strong. Even when they've qualified he's still playing a strong XI. He's taking the Champions League so seriously and he's relentless at the moment. You're thinking the other night against Lille, would he perhaps rest people like Mo Salah? No. And then Salah scores a fantastic goal. Liverpool have been outstanding and I think they're the best team in the world right now.”
Just like Liverpool, Arsenal bagged three points through a home win and the Champions League might just be what The Gunners should aim for this season, Clinton Morrison speculates.
“You know what you get with Arsenal. I think they've been steady. They've done well. And that's all Mikel Arteta could ask for. Even with the injuries he's had to his key players like Saka. I think Arsenal will be there or thereabouts and it could be big for Arsenal. I'm not saying the Premier League is gone at the moment, but the Champions League could be the cup competition which they really focus on and try to go as far as they can or even try to win it, which is going to be difficult, but they're doing well in it and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”
Unai Emery didn’t have a lot of credit in the bank as his players were defeated by Monaco, but the former Crystal Palace marksman is confident in the Spaniard getting his team across the line.
“I know they lost to Monaco they will still qualify and Emery has done a fantastic job. The one thing with him is, he's always been brilliant in Europe. Any club he's been to, he knows Europe inside out. But overall, I think Villa have been very good. They'll strengthen again in January and try to kick on but I think Aston Villa fans are living the dream at the moment.”
- Clinton Morrison was speaking to Tribalfootball on behalf of Free Bets.