Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has claimed that Manchester City have an inferiority complex when playing in the Champions League.
Manuel Pellegrini's Premier League leaders were beaten 2-1 by Juventus on Matchday One of Europe's premier competition on Tuesday.
City have largely underwhelmed on the European stage since first qualifying for the tournament back in 2011, and Carragher thinks that the Premier League side are "too nice" when they meet teams from the continent.
The Liverpool legend told the Daily Mail: "With the squad they have assembled and the money that has been spent, games at the Etihad Stadium should be one of the most daunting tasks in Europe but that is far from the case and Juventus were the latest visiting team to find it all too comfortable.
"Is it the Champions League theme being played before kick-off rather than Blue Moon that sets the tone? Do supporters feel they belong in the competition or are they still in awe of the teams they are coming up against?
"Whatever the reason, you get the impression that when the Champions League comes around for City it is like a night at the opera — the fans turn up, take their seats quietly and sit back to watch the action unfold in front of them. It is all too nice."
City host West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Paul Gorst
