Manchester City have drawn their opening Champions League match 0-0 with Inter.
Pep Guardiola‘s side and the Italian giants shared the spoils at the Etihad Stadium, with Inter proving to tough a nut to crack.
They defended immensley, and restricted City to only a few good chances. They also had a couple of opportunities on the counter.
Ilkay Gundogan had two great headed chances late on but could not convert, and it was simply one of those nights for City.
It was a result that was perhaps needed in a way. This will potentially now force City to regroup and refocus ahead of returning to Premier League action this weekend against Arsenal.
Andy Morrison lauds Josko Gvardiol after display for Man City against Inter
City have been very potent so far this season, with Erling Haaland banging the goals in.
But the Norwegian was kept very quiet tonight by Inter and City did not have any other answers.
Losing Kevin De Bruyne at half-time was a blow, and fans will now patiently wait for news on the Belgian’s condition with a huge game coming up against Arsenal.
It was a frustrating night for City. But one positive to take is the clean sheet.
And one man who was a part of the defence was Josko Gvardiol, who impressed for City captain Andy Morrison.
He said on the City YouTube channel after the game: “I thought Gvardiol, you won’t (necessarily) see it. But I thought Gvardiol was magnificent tonight.
“There were key moments where he was the difference in them having opportunities (and not).”
A good outing from Gvardiol
So a frustrating night for City, but at least there was a clean sheet – something City hadn’t managed for a few games.
£200,000-a-week star Gvardiol can hold his head high for his performance tonight.
He started on the bench against Brentford at the weekend, coming on at half-time. So he would have been fairly freshing coming into this contest.
Certainly, he is the top choice now to play over on that left side and hopefully he can build on his display this weekend.
He will be marking Bukayo Saka on Sunday, which will be a stern test. If he wins that individual battle, that would be most ideal.
