Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini feels his team still have much to learn at Champions League level after admitting their latest performance lacked spirit.
The Premier League champions now face a huge task to reach the knockout stages for the first time after slumping to a disappointing 3-1 loss to Ajax in Amsterdam.
The result leaves them bottom of Group D with just one point halfway through the programme.
With a testing visit from Real Madrid and a tricky trip to Borussia Dortmund to come – as well as an Ajax rematch in a fortnight – City’s challenge could end in frustration for a second successive year.
Mancini blamed himself for the loss in the game’s immediate aftermath, but that said was down to his preparations and not his tactical changes during the second half.
The Italian said, ‘’If you have spirit you have quality to play Champions League. If not, you can’t. This is the problem.
‘’It is not important, the tactics. When you play this game you should have good spirit.
‘’We are a young club for the Champions League. This is the second time that we play.
‘’I think we need to work more for the Champions League.’’
Ajax were considered the weakest of the four domestic champions in the tough-looking group but they dominated from the outset against City.
The visitors did snatch the lead against the run of play through Samir Nasri in the 22nd minute but the hosts were deservedly level at the break after a powerful Siem de Jong strike.
Niklas Moisander and Christian Eriksen, with the aid of a deflection, put the game beyond City in the second half.
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Source : punchng[dot]com
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