Football
David Mooney, Manchester City blogger 6y

After so much success, have Man City fans forgotten how to lose?

Losing isn't something Manchester City fans have experienced a lot lately. Before Wigan's 1-0 victory in the FA Cup on Monday night, only Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool had taken maximum points from Pep Guardiola's side -- and the first was a meaningless Champions League tie, while the second was down to a mad 10-minute spell that a late rescue-attempt couldn't salvage.

But, despite a strong City line-up against the League One high-fliers, it was the underdogs who put in the better performance and were more deserving of landing a home tie with Southampton in the next round.

City had no excuses. The Premier League leaders dominated the ball, but Christian Walton in the Latics' goal was rarely troubled and that's a damning indictment on the visitors' performance.

Unsavoury scenes after the final whistle underlined how much of a frustrating display it had been. In all honesty, City should have been able to name a much weaker team and swat away their opposition with consummate ease.

Instead, they went virtually full strength and flattered to deceive for an hour-and-a-half. That's embarrassing for those following the team, especially those who had made the short trip across Lancashire.

In those sorts of situations, it's easy to let emotions boil over. It's even easier when a small group of the home fans invade the pitch and goad the away end. It got to the point where Sergio Aguero reacted to being wound up and allegedly spat at -- and when players are exposed to that sort of behaviour, it's gone too far.

In the age of social media, there's the sort of football fan who takes more joy in getting that video of the downtrodden opponent and rubbing salt in the wounds in an attempt to go viral than celebrating their own side's achievements. It's worth remembering that nobody likes a bad winner, just as people need not be sore losers.

Equally, a proportion of City's fans aren't blameless in the fracas, too. There were reports of bottles, coins and even advertising boards being thrown in response and whatever has been done beforehand, that simply isn't on.

Sure, it was a frustrating night. But having spent all season watching the team play their opponents off the pitch, opening up an unprecedented 16-point lead in the top flight and excelling in the Champions League, and with a League Cup final to look forward to on Sunday, it should be a lot easier to rise above it.

By contrast, that could be Wigan's biggest result of the season. It's ok to be upset or annoyed, but there should be some perspective. Guardiola -- and City fans -- have spent all season saying that a Quadruple was unlikely, but as soon as it's over there were many who went into meltdown.

It's only just over a decade ago that City's fans were screaming that the players were "not fit to wear the shirt" following a 2-0 FA Cup exit at Blackburn. The goalposts have been moved since: sure the result and display at Wigan was embarrassing but the bigger picture is that this season is going to be a huge success.

Games like Monday night's happen. There doesn't always have to be an injustice or something to blame when a team of City's quality lose unexpectedly -- sometimes the stars align for the opposition and they ride their luck to win.

Despite the confusion over HOW he got to the red card decision, Anthony Taylor did make the correct call to dismiss Fabian Delph. The assumption is that he was swayed by the Wigan players, but he could just as easily have had a word in his ear from his assistant.

Even with 10 men, City had overwhelming control of the tie and, while losing a man never makes winning easier, the task still wasn't insurmountable.

This was the first time all season that the supporters watched their side lose a game that truly affected the outcome of their campaign. Losing at Shakhtar and Liverpool didn't cost them in either the Champions League or Premier League.

While they may have downplayed their chances of a Quadruple, they'll know this was perhaps the best opportunity any team might ever have. They've got the top flight pretty much wrapped up, they're as good as through to the Champions League quarterfinals, they're in the final of the Carabao Cup and had a good draw facing Wigan -- and they blew it in a manner they shouldn't have.

That's what may rankle the most.

Nevertheless, it's worth remembering that losing a game of football isn't the end of the world. It's been almost a year since fans had to deal with a defeat that mattered and in that time some seem to have forgotten how to deal with it at all.

^ Back to Top ^