Lyon 2-2 Man City: Pep Guardiola's men learn to "suffer" by scratching during the last Lyon test

Pep Guardiola said her Manchester City side might have to suffer if she wants to make the leap and win the Champions League, and in that sense, Lyon has done a huge favor to the Premier League champion twice this season.

They made Guardiola's men suffer for 180 minutes, registering a win and a draw that ultimately did not jeopardize City's chances of reaching the knockout stages, but which will give the Blues plenty of thought as they go. measure of their progress in the competition.

The city's 2-2 draw at Groupama Stadium on Tuesday night secured the qualification, which will provide all the relief needed for the club to lose its opening match against the team in September.

Yet, if City thinks they have managed to get out of the woods after catching twice the fearless French side, they will get a rude awakening in the last 16 days and beyond.

After losing to Lyon at Stade Etihad in September, Guardiola said his players needed more deadly clashes to get used to life against the big boys, the teams that will lead them to the match.

"Maybe we have to live [difficult] "The last two seasons, when I'm here, we've qualified quite comfortably, maybe you have to suffer in the group stage to achieve and take a step forward." "

As Lyon attacked City City relentlessly on Tuesday night, supporters and experts were questioning the fact that it was what Premier League teams had to do more often. This does not take into account the fact that most Premier League teams are simply not designed to do so, either in terms of quality or mentality.

But across Europe, several camps built exactly like this one will play their own match against Guardiola's men. Teams like Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and maybe Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain, teams that City will face at some point to win this competition.

The elite clubs may not be at their best right now, and City outperforms them in terms of league performances, but, as Lyon has already proven twice, the form does not matter more for nothing.

Is it important that Lyon be second in Ligue 1 and miles behind PSG when he leaves Memphis Depay, Nabil Fekir and Maxwel Cornet in front against City Three behind when the Blues have the ball, and push two other players in the line before attack?

It is this kind of courage, combined with their quality, that preoccupies City so consistently in their two meetings, and there will be more next year.

City was deprived of Kevin De Bruyne for both games against Lyon, it should be pointed out, even if his inclusion would undoubtedly improve his team, he could not wait to fight all the problems posed by the big teams .

In the absence of De Bruyne on Tuesday, it was hoped that the young Phil Foden would start, but considering how the match failed, Guardiola could claim that he was sparing the baptism of fire at the same time. 18 years old.

Still, with three of the biggest players in front of him all ruled out because of injury, and as Guardiola said he was "definitely" ready for a match of this magnitude, Foden might well be wondering when he will have the chance. opportunity to show that he can really handle the pressure.

See the game unfold as it did, it's a simple footnote.

At the top of the agenda will be the ability of the city, or not, to handle the most dangerous sides of Europe.

There are positives, of course. Perhaps the suffering has already had an effect; Guardiola wants and needs to see an improvement in his players facing adversity, and the fact that they have fought back twice to even augur well for the situation.

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Again, none of this will surprise Guardiola, who does not believe his team is ready to win the Champions League, in terms of club stature.

But any outside observer rightly expects this team of talented, motivated and intelligent footballers to launch a major challenge this season.

If they have to do it, they will have to go through more evenings like this one. There will be more suffering to come.