Peter Schmeichel Slams Man City Atmosphere Generated by Fans vs Inter
Peter Schmeichel was left unimpressed with the atmosphere inside the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City opened their 2024/25 Champions League campaign with a goalless draw against Inter Milan. The Italian giants frustrated the English champions on an underwhelming night of European action.
A stubborn defensive unit, Inter caused several problems for the Citizens on the counter-attack and could have even departed Manchester with all three points. The best chance of the night for the Nerazzurri fell to former Man United defender Matteo Darmian, but the right-back opted to try and pick out a teammate rather than having a shot on goal.
Ilkay Gundogan had two glaring opportunities to open his goalscoring account in his second spell at Man City, but the German couldn’t direct his headers past Yann Sommer. Pep Guardiola’s men struggled to reach their ruthless best, and Schmeichel believes the lack of noise from the home support played its part in that.
Schmeichel Calls Out Man City Fans
He said he could only hear the visiting Italian supporters
Working on CBS Sports’ coverage of the showpiece match on the night, the ex-Man City goalkeeper stated his disappointment at the clash. Schmeichel admitted: “I thought it was a really really boring game.”
He would go on to give his thoughts on the lack of buzz inside the stadium during a big European night. The 60-year-old claimed:
“I love good football and I like excitement from the crowd. It was dead. The Etihad today was absolutely dead. The only people we could hear were the Inter supporters, who were quite good, but there was no atmosphere in the Etihad today.”
Expanding on his point, an underwhelmed Schmeichel added: “Normally you’d think on a big European night, [there would be], but it didn’t happen.” There was then a brief disagreement between the former shot-stopper and Micah Richards, with the latter asking: “Peter, are you disrespecting my club like this?”
Schmeichel was quick-witted and immediately hit back at the retired defender, saying: “Once in a while, leave the studio. Come out and experience it. Don’t just sit there and judge us for what we’re saying.” As pointed out by Jamie Carragher, Schmeichel represented both Manchester clubs during his playing days, meaning the Dane’s desperation for a better atmosphere makes sense. Watch the clip below:
What Next For Man City
A huge league clash looms for the Citizens
A poor night in Europe’s biggest competition ended the Sky Blues’ 100% record this season, although that remains intact for the Premier League. Having won their opening four domestic games of the campaign, Guardiola will now have to motivate his players for a crunch fixture against Arsenal on Sunday.
The Citizens welcome the Gunners to the Etihad Stadium and everyone – especially Schmeichel – will be expecting a more intense atmosphere. The two teams are expected to be locked in a third successive title race as the two strongest outfits English football have to offer. Mikel Arteta’s men will be hoping to silence the home crowd and frustrate the men in blue, just as Inter managed.