Man City 0 – Inter Milan 0: De Bruyne worries, a strange heel trick – and a good advertisement for the new format

Manchester City were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Inter Milan – only the second time in 42 Champions League home games under Pep Guardiola that they failed to score – despite two last-gasp chances for Ilkay Gündogan.

Inter remained dangerous and defended resolutely, but Gündogan still had two good opportunities to win the game: in one of the final moves of the game, he headed the first goal at goalkeeper Yann Sommer and the second over the bar.

Another disappointment for Pep Guardiola was that Kevin De Bruyne appeared to be unwell after a blocked attempt late in the first half and was taken off at half-time as part of a double substitution.

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, whose team were dangerous on the counterattack for much of the game, could not hide his own frustration after former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian attempted a backheel pass as he ran free towards goal ten minutes into the second half.

Sam Lee and Michael Cox analyze the game.

Is the attack on Inter a good omen for the new Champions League?

It is too early to judge the new “Swiss model” of the Champions League. The real test will come later in this peculiar phase of the combined league. Do teams really care about finishing third or sixth? Do enough TV viewers really care who makes it to the top 24, considering that these teams are likely to be eliminated in the play-off round anyway? We will see.

But Inter's performance here was a good advertisement for the new system. If this had been a normal game in the usual group of four, then Inter would have had more incentive to play defensively. They would have been delighted to deny City three points and content with the fact that their other opponents in the group stage were unlikely to match their performance and take a point.

With the bigger league format, there is less incentive to deny City a win. They are not just playing against City, and other teams will be playing against City too. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but Inter felt they had nothing to lose, knowing they had seven games left to make up the deficit if their audacity proved to be their undoing.

Michael Cox

Should we be worried about De Bruyne?

Casemiro was discussed on a recent episode of Stick to Football, and Roy Keane noted that once a player hits 30, everyone starts over-analyzing poor performances. The comparisons between the current Casemiro and Kevin De Bruyne end here, but the City midfielder always seems to be scrutinized a little more closely these days, not only because he's 33, but also because of the nasty hamstring injury he picked up last season.

De Bruyne has actually started the season really well, not just in the sense of “good considering the circumstances” but also as fit as ever. Guardiola was asked about this on Tuesday and he replied that it might be more difficult now that City are playing every few days rather than just at the weekend, but that's the case for everyone.

De Bruyne had a tougher time against Inter – at one point he was verbally abused by Rodri, who asked him “What do you expect from me?!” – and at other times he was harassed in his position further to the left. His night ended at half-time after a small nudge while attempting to score an opening goal from a tight angle seemed to be enough to force him off the pitch.

With Phil Foden finishing so well last season in a central role and now returning from illness to replace him here, it's inevitable that nights like this take on added significance, but so far this season De Bruyne has suggested he still has plenty of petrol left in the tank.

Sam Lee

Why did Darmian fix the hoe bug?

Inter had a great chance to take the lead shortly after half-time when Darmian was played in behind the City defence and then made a very odd decision that left his manager furious on the sidelines.

First, Darmian is played through and storms towards the goal, while Josko Gvardiol tries to catch up with him …

But as he approaches Ederson, the 34-year-old defender decides to try a backheel, possibly to set up Nicolo Barella…

Whatever the plan, Darmian's attempt flies past Barella…

And falls at Grealish's feet, thwarts the chance and leaves his manager furious…

How were City and Haaland stopped?

Sometimes you watch games like this, where the home team are clear favourites but aren't scoring, and your instinct is to think, “Hmm, maybe they just need a proper No. 9 to provide some presence in the box?” But of course, Erling Haaland, who has scored eight goals in his last three games, is that man for Manchester City.

Haaland had a good attempt in the first half that went just wide, but Inter deserve credit for largely keeping him in check. This is a typical Italian defence, with three centre-backs who really love to defend, not just in the box but also in the six-yard box. Protected by three central midfielders who can stay close to the defence because the two strikers in turn also drop back into their own third, Inter are one of the most frustrating teams to play against in Europe.

Still, City may feel they could have caused them more problems, particularly on the flanks where Inter were undermanned in their 3-5-2 formation. City were not particularly dangerous on the left, where Jack Grealish was stationed, but still looked overcautious in possession. The departure of Kevin De Bruyne and Savinho at half-time meant City were without their best crosser and dribbler. Phil Foden and Gundogan came on while Bernardo Silva moved to the right, but that led to a less direct City as Jeremy Doku was called on too late to make an impact.

There were some good combinations, particularly with Rico Lewis on the right, and various players offered a threat from long range, with Josko Gvardiol and Rodri trying their luck. Gündogan also had two header chances in the closing stages.

City's xG ended up being over 1.5 – and yet it felt like Inter's defense deserved a clean sheet.

Michael Cox

Is Ederson back on track?

For understandable reasons, Ederson looked a little sluggish in pre-season and even the first few games of the season proper. He had missed the end of City's final run and the Copa America due to a broken eye socket and wanted to leave in the summer but that never happened, so if he wasn't at his best physically and mentally, he couldn't really complain.

The only hope would be that it wouldn't stay that way and, from recent indications, he now seems to be hitting his stride. In the first few games his passes were a little off and given his accuracy over the years, any small drop-off can make a big difference. But this was obviously in the spotlight for the right reasons at the weekend, following his assist for Haaland, and he was called upon several times on Wednesday to make more traditional contributions – actual saves – and he always had an answer.

There aren't many games where City face so many shots on goal and he hasn't exactly made a name for himself as a particularly good goalkeeper, but here he was impressive on a night when City needed him.

Sam Lee

What’s next for Manchester City?

Sunday, September 22nd: Arsenal (H), Premier League, 4:30pm BST, 11:30am ET

What’s next for Inter?

Sunday, September 22nd: Milan (H), Premier League, 7:45pm BST, 2:45pm ET

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(Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)