'Too many times' - Jack Grealish calls out 'weird' Man City performance in PSG collapse
Jack Grealish could not put his finger on the 'weird' phenomenon that has seen Manchester City throw away leads in the Champions League to leave their knockout hopes going down to the wire.
City went 2-0 up at Paris Saint-Germain on the penultimate fixture of the League Phase, knowing a win would all-but book a play-off place. But PSG scored four unanswered goals to leapfrog the Blues and dump them into 25th place with only 24 sides moving on in the competition.
The collapse followed the 3-3 draw vs Feyenoord from a 3-0 lead, with eight points now dropped from winning positions in the Champions League this season. That figure is 14 points in the Premier League, including late collapses against Brentford, Manchester United and Brighton recently.
READ MORE: Pep Guardiola explains subs at PSG as Man City pick up new injury worry
READ MORE: Man City changes vs PSG are no excuse for another Champions League collapse
"I don't know [what happened]," Grealish said honestly after the PSG defeat. "Usually we're so good in these moments. It's happened too many times this season, we go one or two goals up, even three against Feyenoord, and we haven't controlled the game and see it out.
"It's weird because very other season we've been so good in these moments. I don't know if its' a confidence thing. Before Christmas we weren't at the levels we know we can be. It's down to ourselves to try and change it and try and win the game next week."
If Grealish didn't have the answer to what went wrong, then he was equally short of solutions for how to change the habit of throwing leads away.
"It's difficult. I don't know if it's a confidence thing," the goalscorer admitted. "We have so many players on the pitch who so good at keeping the ball. We've not been doing it recently, its down to ourselves. Credit to Paris, they were very energetic. They were a lot better than I thought, not in a bad way, they were a top team and deserved to win.
"Even when I came on I didn't touch the ball for a while, the goal was my first touch. I wanted a few touches to get in the game, the next action we scored again. it was all going to plan, it was perfect. Even myself I'm good in these moments at keeping the ball but we didn't do it. And they had players showing all the time and wanting the ball and keeping it."
