Manchester City’s dressing room was so disconsolate that aside from nobody saying a word, players couldn’t even bring themselves to shower.
Departing the Bernabeu proved a torturous exercise, legs weary and minds heavy. They didn’t board the coach until far later than normal, still in silence and still in shock.
Three Real Madrid goals in the space of five minutes had put paid to their Champions League journey in 2022, a defensive capitulation for the ages. Shock permeated the flight home.
The inner sanctum will not have been too different on Wednesday night. Three Federico Valverde goals in 22 first-half minutes might well end City’s European dream for another year, unless they summon the spirit of the days after that semi-final defeat four years ago.
Newcastle were walloped for five at the weekend. Wolves went for five days later, that Kevin De Bruyne hat-trick after it had been announced that a certain Erling Haaland was joining in the summer.
Bernardo Silva had warned his team-mates last week that this fortnight could effectively spell the end of their season if they weren’t careful. ‘In these weeks we’re not going to win a lot but we can lose a lot,’ the captain said.
Manchester City’s stars were shell-shocked after their 3-0 thrashing by Real Madrid
Bernardo Silva must find a way to heal a dressing room which has lost some of its leaders
They had passed the first assignment at St James’ Park on Saturday, a team of wholesale changes coming from behind to keep them in the FA Cup. Liverpool now await in the quarters.
But the tallest of orders is now required if they are to storm into the last eight of the Champions League and a likely meeting with Bayern Munich – as it was during the ascent to the Treble.
In a way, the limp surrender in losing 3-0 this week was significantly worse than the heartbreaking exit in 2022, City not laying a glove on Real after Pep Guardiola tinkered with a team that had generally been grinding results.
That should not take too much getting over if City are serious of making a success of this season. There has to be an acceptance of how individually poor Wednesday was, the shouldering of responsibility. Guardiola will know who he can count on over the coming week.
Have they got it in their locker to blow Real away, as they did in 2023? That festival of blistering attacking football, described as a ‘trap’ in the Spanish press? We will find out, although the signs at the moment don’t appear overly positive.
There remains a Premier League title to win and Silva has a job on to rally his troops before going to West Ham United on Saturday night.
The Portuguese’s captaincy has been lauded by sources this season, taking over from Kyle Walker and De Bruyne and a dressing room that had become cracked last year. He’s united the squad again yet there is no denying that this now represents his biggest challenge.
Because given the draw against Nottingham Forest last week, there is no real room for manoeuvre in the league, a quest that was in their own hands. Seven points is the gap to Arsenal, with a game in hand and the leaders to play at the Etihad Stadium.
Their Premier League and Champions League hopes hinge on their next two matches
It is usually the time of year when Guardiola teams go on lengthy winning runs but this is a new City and the make-up of this squad has not been tested like this before.
West Ham will tell a lot of what is to come, whether they have that same mental fortitude and quality to bounce back. Real on Tuesday will go further, even if City go out in a blaze of glory. Silva talked about how the ‘weeks’ were important. That’s now been condensed into four days.
