Key lessons from Manchester City's failure in the Champions League Mancini called a halt to City's pursuit of Eden Hazard due to the cost of the deal, but he was determined to land Robin van Persie, Javi Martínez and Daniele de Rossi, yet ended up with none of them. Mancini warned that the title-winning squad was not good enough to win the Champions League, but even with their August additions they still fell a long way short of even escaping their group. European tactics On more than one occasion during City's Champions League journey this season, Mancini has been asked whether his own pride has been hurt by his team's inability to rise to the big occasion. Each time, the Italian has swerved the issue, opting instead to point out how difficult it is for clubs such as City, who are relatively new to the competition, to succeed. Yet while City's failings can be ascribed to faltering first steps, Mancini is no European rookie and his Champions League record is, quite simply, a tale of underachievement. With Inter Milan and now City, he has not progressed beyond the quarter-finals. Well, against rival coaches Jose Mourinho, Frank de Boer and Jurgen Klopp, he has been outsmarted in this season's competition, with all three devising tactical plans to defeat City. City have proven to be easy to read in Europe and Mancini's tactics, defensively and offensively, have not been good enough. Volume levels in the dressing room Small details can often highlight bigger issues and the absence from the City dressing-room this season of Nigel de Jong (sold to AC Milan) and Micah Richards (injured for all but four games) has hit the squad hard. Both players, De Jong in particular, have been dominant voices in the dressing room, strong characters prepared to speak out and provide leadership within the squad. As each of the City players walked through the post-match mixed in Dortmund on Tuesday, refusing to discuss the Champions League disappointment with reporters, the absence of characters like De Jong and Richards, who are traditionally prepared to face up to their inquisitors, was evident again. Roy Keane, Patrice Evra, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have all shared similar traits and been prepared to front up when it is easier to walk on by in the past, yet City lack similar figures.