Henry Breaks Down Man City's Achilles Heel After Shocking UCL Loss to Bodø/Glimt

City Fall: Henry Breaks Down Core Issues

Former France striker Thierry Henry offered a sharp breakdown of Manchester City's 3-1 defeat to Bodø/Glimt in a historic Champions League night, giving the Norwegian side their first win of the competition.

Henry argued City pressed poorly and could not stop quick counterattacks, noting that the absence of Kyle Walker's ball-recovery pace was a big hindrance.

Walker, now 35, played his last game for City in January 2025 before a loan spell at Milan; he is currently with Burnley, which has an option to buy him next summer.

In City's best days, Walker's speed allowed them to gamble higher up the pitch with the trust that he would sprint back to rescue them; Henry pointed to that as a missing ingredient on Tuesday night.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry, Arsenal and France legend, said: "Listen, when your team wants to dominate possession but presses poorly, cannot stop counters, and you lack Walker's ball-winning instinct, you are in a very tough spot."

Henry added that Pep Guardiola has not fully recreated the aura of players who left—Aguero and David Silva—by replacing them with the same impact. He noted January signings as an attempt to address those gaps, but emphasized the broader issue remains pressing and transition.

"If you don't press well and stop the counters, how will you preserve a lead? If you lose possession, you must win it back immediately to stay on the pitch. Otherwise, it's a counter, a goal, or a corner—and you're in trouble."

Henry argued that repeated defensive errors have been a recurring theme for City, lending weight to his analysis that structure and urgency still matter in Europe's elite competition.

SNIPER TAKE: City’s press looks like a dial-up connection—lots of activity, zero reliability. SNIPER TAKE: If City were a smartphone, their defense would be in airplane mode—great reach, zero reception.