A former defender of Manchester City has labeled Pep Guardiola's side as a 'Cup team' after they defeated Club Brugge to prevent elimination from the Champions League.
The citizens were in danger to suffer an embarrassing exit from the competition, because they were 1-0 during the break, but a second half of Mateo Kovacic and a double of replacement Savinho ensured that they had comfortable 3-1 winners.
But former Center-Back Joleon Lescott, which made 107 performances for City in five years at Etihad, noted that she was a 'Cup team', when he was asked if the victory could help the team to enjoy a revival of in the Premier League.
Lescott spoke on TNT -Sport: 'Hopefully that is the case. They are currently acting as a cup team.
'They are too inconsistent to pose a threat in the Premier League and can perform for parts of cup competitions, but later [in the Champions League] You may need to put together a stronger performance.
He added: “They are still not favorites in the competition, but they are a team that wants to avoid other teams.”
Progression to the Knock -Out Round Play – Offs – who have to win the men of Guardiola to continue to the last 16 – has brought an ominous fixture for the former employers of Lescott.
City has to pass Real Madrid, who dumped them out of the competition 12 months ago on their way to their 15th triumph or German Giants Bayern Munich to become a member of fellow Premier League-Sijden Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa in the last 16.
Their opponent is confirmed when the draw for the next phase of the competition takes place on January 31.
If City makes it through that glove, they will meet Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the last 16.
In the meantime, their opponents in the night, Club Brugge, also qualified for the play-off round after German side Stuttgart at home lost 4-1 to PSG.
Liverpool came in the last competition phase matches that were guaranteed to end in one of the two top positions and despite the defeat by PSV Eindhoven, they finished the first phase on top of the 36-team table.
Elsewhere, Arsenal ended the third phase third, level at points with Barcelona in the second and only two points behind their Premier League rivals.
The last recording in the Top-Acht was Aston Villa, who booked their place in the next round with an exciting 4-2 victory over Scottish champions Celtic in Villa Park.
The play-offs of the Champions League take place over two legs on the weekdays of 11 February and 12 February, as well as February 18 and February 19.
Last-16 games will be played on March 4 and March 5, with the second legs on March 11 and March 12.
Further to the next phase, the quarterfinals are on April 8 and April 9, with the return legs on April 15 and April 16.
The semi -final takes place on April 29 and April 30, with second legs on 6 and 7 May.
This year's Champions League final is held in the Allianz Arena of Bayern Munich – with the competition before 31 May.
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