Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic sensationally missed an open goal while playing for Croatia against England – with fans wondering whether club issues were playing on his mind.
Kovacic, 32, has played for City since 2023, but now finds the club engulfed in a war with the Premier League that has seen them found guilty of the vast majority of their financial charges.
City are appealing the verdict, but it emerged on Friday night that one of their main defences surrounding sponsorship from Etihad could be in tatters due to the brand previously stating they are state-owned.
And those issues could have played into Kovacic’s international form as he missed a golden opportunity on Saturday.
The midfielder found himself around eight yards from goal with a pretty much empty net to pass into, but sliced wide.
He had won the ball off club team-mate Elliot Anderson, rounded Jordan Pickford, and only had to roll the ball into the net – but failed.
Manchster City midfielder Mateo Kovacic missed a sitter while playing for Croatia against England on Saturday
‘Kovacic missed an empty net after all that work,’ one fan wrote on X. ‘These City players look traumatised by the 114 charges.’
Another posted: ‘These City cheats are literally quivering in their boots whilst playing knowing what they all are.’
England manager Thomas Tuchel had previously admitted the Three Lions’ City players are nervous about their futures.
While City stress their innocence and have appealed the decision, Tuchel admitted that Marc Guehi, Elliot Anderson and Nico O’Reilly are naturally anxious.
The trio have been inundated with calls and messages over the past week, with O’Reilly now having flown back to Manchester for treatment on an injury.
‘Are they worried or are they concerned? I think that would be a very human reaction if you don’t know what’s going on for the club that you signed,’ Tuchel said.
‘They’re still young. They’re ambitious. They’re told they are totally innocent and don’t know what’s going on.
‘We speak about it at dinner and at a table of eight or 12 people. Of course, we speak about it at breakfast.’
Kovacic’s club face a potentially significant punishment after being found guilty of financial breaches against the Premier League
Tuchel claimed that the news around City being found guilty of the vast majority of charges had represented a ‘distraction’ before then clarifying that the City trio had been focused in meetings and training sessions.
‘It’s a big topic in camp,’ he added. ‘We had some time off between the matches and it is a big subject. How can it not be a topic? We talk with them but only briefly.’
The German did also suggest that he would continue considering picking players in the event that they are relegated from the Premier League as a punishment, should an appeal fail.
‘I would always try to pick the best team for the camp, occasion, tournament,’ he said. ‘I will never rule that out because they don’t play in the top flight in their country. We need to look at it case by case.’
