Marc Guéhi has urged Manchester City to learn from their 4-2 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, insisting that defensive improvements are essential if his side are to compete consistently at the highest level.
City suffered a damaging loss at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday after PSG punished their defensive mistakes in a devastating first-half spell. Despite a spirited response after the break, the hosts could not overturn the deficit against the reigning European champions.
Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé struck within a minute and 39 seconds of each other to put PSG in control before Vitinha extended their advantage ahead of half-time.
Erling Haaland pulled one back for City after the interval with his record-breaking 37th Champions League goal for the club, sparking hopes of a comeback. However, Maghnes Akliouche restored PSG’s three-goal cushion before Haaland struck again to complete the scoring.
City registered 21 attempts on goal but were ultimately punished for their defensive shortcomings during the opening 45 minutes.
Guéhi admitted that the performance before half-time fell below the standards expected of a team playing at home in Europe’s elite competition. The defender, however, was encouraged by the reaction after the break and believes the experience can help City improve over the remainder of the campaign.
“Obviously, they’re a very good side but I think it’s more on us,” he began in an interview after the game. “We could have done a lot better in the first-half.
“The goals we conceded, we probably shouldn’t concede. But, second-half was positive and I think if we play like that for the rest of the season, we’ll win a lot of games. It’s a good moment for us to learn from this and hopefully move on.
“More the fact that playing at home, it’s not really acceptable, that performance in the first half in front of our fans. I’m just really glad everyone reacted in a positive manner and at least came out fighting.
“If we defend better we give ourselves a good chance of winning the game. Definitely if we have a good defensive platform it gives you a good opportunity to go and win the game. So you can’t always say we have to score five or six goals to win a game.
“This is probably the best competition in the world, highest level, so any little mistake is punished. Hopefully we can learn from this as a team and move forward. As long as we carry on playing like we did in the second-half and training well, things will look positive for us for sure.
The England international also acknowledged the quality of PSG’s attacking players, highlighting how quickly the French side capitalised on City’s lapses in concentration.
“They’ve got fantastic players,” he continued. “It’s pretty much man for man all over the pitch.
“Any moment you go 50/50 in those challenges or not following your men, they’ll exploit it.”
Guéhi’s comments underline the importance of defensive discipline as City look to recover from the setback. Against opponents with PSG’s attacking quality, even brief lapses can prove costly, leaving little room for mistakes.
The defender also stressed that City cannot rely solely on their attacking firepower to rescue games. Although Haaland’s double offered a reminder of the team’s ability to threaten in front of goal, the defensive problems exposed in the first half made the task significantly harder.
For City manager Enzo Maresca, the priority will be to address those weaknesses without losing the attacking intent that helped his team produce a stronger second-half display.
The defeat is a setback, but Guéhi believes the response matters more than the result alone. If City can translate the lessons from their loss to PSG into improved defensive performances, the disappointment could become a valuable turning point in their Champions League campaign.
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