Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Manuel Pellegrini: Man City and Real Madrid had too much to lose in first leg

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says his side's goalless Champions League semifinal first leg with Real Madrid was a "bad game of football."

City and Madrid drew 0-0 in last Tuesday's game in Manchester, a result that leaves the tie evenly poised ahead of Wednesday's return at the Bernabeu.

The first leg was a tight, tactical affair, with the best chances coming when Madrid attacked more late on Jese Rodriguez hit the crossbar with a header, while City goalkeeper Joe Hart denied Casemiro and Pepe from corner kicks.

The former Villarreal, Madrid and Malaga coach told AS that the game had been a dull affair -- saying that Zidane's side had not really tried to play the good football they were capable of.

"It left me feeling I had seen a bad game of football," Pellegrini said. "I have always defended creative football, and neither of the teams had the capacity or intention to do that.

"I believe Madrid did not have much intention, or could not, for the first 70 minutes. At the end they had a few corners, but really they did very little. They are two teams with good players, the spectacle should have been better.

"It is also difficult when you're playing a Champions [League] semifinal, with away goals so important, and a feeling of 'don't lose as the away team' in Madrid's case, which maybe justifies some things."

Madrid were missing the top scorer Ronaldo due to a thigh muscle problem in the first meeting, and he has since been undergoing an intensive recovery programme in the hope of being able to start the second leg. He returned to full training on Monday.

Pellegrini said he could sympathise, as an injury to Ronaldo had severely hampered his own season in charge at Madrid in 2009-10, and he had faced a similar dilemma over whether to risk the Portuguese in the La Liga season-deciding Clasico at Barcelona that year.

"It would be absurd to deny that Madrid without Cristiano are not the same as Madrid with him," he said. "For the number of goals, the influence of Cristiano in these last six years.

"I was the only one who had the bad luck to be without him for a month and a half, and he returned just in time for Barcelona, at the Camp Nou. The doctor told me he could not play more than 60 minutes after two months [out]. Maybe having 30 more minutes of Cristiano would have changed the history [Barcelona won that game 2-0]."

Injuries to Manchester City midfielders David Silva and Yaya Toure, as well as Madrid centre-forward Karim Benzema, should not be forgotten amid all the discussion about Ronaldo, Pellegrini said.

"Cristiano's absence is talked about a lot, but [Karim] Benzema also missed half the game," he added. "And Silva missed half the game too, and Yaya Toure did not play, which are equally important absences.

"David brings us creativity, we had our best moments with him on the pitch. But neither City, nor Madrid, can rely on just one player."

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