Taking their chances will be key for Manchester City this week | OneFootball

As Manchester City went down to a 1-nil defeat to Crystal Palace at Wembley, they squandered a host of chances. Crystal Palace had two attacks of note, and Eberechi Eze’s 16th-minute strike decided the FA Cup final. A missed penalty, Erling Haaland’s decision not to take a penalty, and an inspired Dean Henderson in the Palace goal conspired to beat City at Wembley.

Heading into a pivotal week for Pep Guardiola’s side, they simply must take their chances this week. If they do, it could set them up for Champions League qualification. If they don’t, they’ll be left on the periphery of the Champions League places for next season.

Manchester City did enough to win at Wembley, but they shot themselves in the foot.

As the pain subsides from Manchester City’s FA Cup final defeat, the reality of Manchester City’s performance sets in. Manchester City did more than enough to beat Crystal Palace. The statistics from the game show this. Palace had two shots throughout the FA Cup final. They scored from one of them. Pep Guardiola’s side created more than enough to win the game. But they failed to take their chances. That’s what cost them. Oliver Glasner’s side also defended like warriors, and they earned their victory. They deserve credit for that. But Pep Guardiola’s side did all they could at Wembley and it wasn’t to be. It wasn’t their worst performance of the season and that does give hope for what lies ahead this week.

City have the weapons to avoid last Saturday’s fate.

The Manchester City squad has the players in it to avoid the same fate as the one they suffered at Wembley this week. Erling Haaland needs to step up. His job is to score goals and if another key penalty arises he must take it. It’s as simple as that. Omar Marmoush must get over his disappointment from his penalty miss. Savinho and Jeremy Doku can do more as well. Perhaps another Claudio Echeverri cameo could prove crucial. Kevin De Bruyne will want to leave Manchester City on a high note. Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden could be crucial this week. The players are there in City’s squad but they must take their chances this week.

Manchester City created the chances they needed to prosper at Wembley. They just failed to take them. If they create the chances against Bournemouth and Fulham they must be taken. It’s as simple as that. That could be what defines a pivotal week for Pep Guardiola’s side.