When Manchester City arrived at the Stadio Olimpico needing to beat Roma to stand any chance of progressing to the Champions League knockout stages, many wondered how they would cope without Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini did not.
Despite boasting an enviable wealth of talent in their ranks, City have often floundered in the Champions League and ahead of kick-off in Rome on Wednesday they sat third in Group E needing a victory and Bayern Munich to beat CSKA Moscow.
With powerhouse midfielder Toure suspended and captain Kompany and talismanic striker Aguero injured, City’s prospects of beating Roma looked bleak.
But having been forced to shuffle his pack and adopt a resilient rather than graceful style, Pellegrini stumbled across a formula that worked perfectly.
With the attacking flair that helped them claim the Premier League title last season put to one side, City produced a gutsy performance that conquered Roma.
Samir Nasri put the visitors in front in the second half before Pablo Zabaleta’s late strike – coupled with Bayern’s victory over CSKA Moscow – ensured City reached the knock-out stages.
Midfielders Fernando and Fernandinho epitomised City’s performance with tireless displays and three-times European Cup winner Graeme Souness hailed their effort
“It was a really solid European performance,” the former Liverpool midfielder told Sky Sports.
“They needed to show teams a bit more respect and be a bit more cautious. City did it right.
“It was a very different Man. City. It was forced on them and they may have learned from that.
“Fernando and Fernandinho, what did they do creatively?
“I can’t remember any clever passes. But what they did do – they were on Roma, making them make passes they didn’t want to make.
“You need that – at the highest level you need that.”
Jamie Carragher, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, believes Pellegrini has a tough decision to make when midfielder Toure returns from suspension.
“It was a proper European performance that we’ve been looking for from City,” he told Sky Sports.
“The big decision for them is in the next round – he’s suspended in the opening game but after that if they go on – what do you do with Yaya Toure?”
Pellegrini has until February when the Champions League resumes to answer that question.
Roman warriors
On Wednesday, the Chilean preferred to hail the champions’ Roman warriors rather than the absent leading players.
“I had a lot of trust in what we could do. I said I didn’t want to talk about players not in the team.
“You must decide to play without Kompany, without Yaya Toure, without (substitute David) Silva, without Kun (Aguero),” Pellegrini said.
“It’s difficult for a team. This team deserves a little more credit than the press always gives us.
“Trust has been key. Against Roma in Manchester we played the worst game of the season and we drew. We were sure playing the way we have played in recent weeks we must win.”
Comeback kings
Liverpool 2004
• Defeats to Olympiakos, Deportivo La Coruna and Monaco left Liverpool needing to beat the Greeks by two clear goals at Anfield in their final game, and they did so in dramatic circumstances as they came from behind to win 3-1 with a Steven Gerrard piledriver in the 86th minute.
Newcastle 2002
• The Magpies made history by becoming the first side to go through to the last 16 after losing their first three group games. An unlikely win over Juventus and comeback against Dynamo Kiev gave them hope, and they completed the job with a dramatic last-gasp 3-2 win over Feyenoord, Craig Bellamy scoring the vital goal.
Arsenal 2003
• The Gunners’ ‘Invincibles’ swept all before them in the Premier League but they claimed just one point in their opening three Champions League group games. Ashley Cole’s 88th-minute winner against Kiev revived their campaign and they went through after further victories against Inter and Lokomotiv Moscow.
Liverpool 2007
• Liverpool burst into form after a dismal start that had seen them take one point in three games. They thrashed Besiktas 8-0 and Porto 4-1 before becoming the first English side to win at the Stade Velodrome, beating Marseille 4-0.
Bayern Munich 2010
• Louis van Gaal’s Bayern were lagging behind in third in their group after four games before a slender 1-0 win over Maccabi Haifa gave them a chance. They still needed to beat Juventus in their last game but they did so by coming from behind to win 4-1 in Turin.