Ilkay Gundogan thought Manchester City were too nervous against Manchester United when things didn't go their way.
Pep Guardiola's side made a fast start in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at the Etihad but failed to take any of the good chances they produced and lost on the night after conceding to United's first shot on target.
Ilkay Gundogan, never afraid to speak honestly, said after their Champions League defeat to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium that the team were too jittery: "I have the feeling we are nervous in important Champions League games," he said. "We always make the wrong decisions." More mistakes followed in the second leg and European glory eluded the team again.
Wednesday saw more of the same as a confident start turned to unusual uncertainty among the players with some uncharacteristic errors from back to front.
With Real Madrid in mind, Gundogan says they have to react better to setbacks.
"Especially after conceding the goal, it was too sloppy from us. We started really well, created really good chances early and if we score I think it's over and it's done but sometimes we have the issue to concede," he said.
"It's totally normal in football - even a great team like us with great players can concede goals and be one goal down - but it's about reacting and not getting too nervous, sticking with your plan.
"In some periods in the past we struggled a little bit and we should learn from it because we have big games coming - of course with the Champions League."