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Paul Scholes criticizes Manchester City fans for lack of atmosphere at Etihad

Reuters

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has taken a shot at supporters on the blue side of the city, saying that the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium for Tuesday's Champions League match against Roma was severely lacking.

Manchester City could only muster a 1-1 draw against the Italian side, and did so playing in front of a sparse crowd of 37,509 – the lowest attendance for the club in the Champions League since they entered the tournament in 2011.

"I was lucky enough to play at Old Trafford and we always talked about the atmosphere on a Tuesday night, the special atmosphere you create, and the crowd is rocking when you go out for a warm-up," Scholes said, via FOX Soccer.

"At quarter-past seven, there's empty seats everywhere. When you come here it just doesn't have a European night feel to it. You go to Liverpool, you go to Old Trafford, you go to Chelsea, they have a special feeling for it.

"I don't think they realise what a big game this is. They've got the team, they've definitely got the players, the quality is definitely there, but do the crowd realise how lucky they are to be in this competition? I don't think they do."

Scholes's criticism comes at a time when City, who have averaged 45,612 fans this season, are in the midst of a redevelopment plan that will ultimately increase the capacity of the stadium to 62,000.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini, not surprisingly, dismissed the notion of the fan support having any impact on the match.

"Of course if you have a great atmosphere it is always better for the team but we cannot be concerned about the atmosphere the fans give because they always give very good atmosphere," he said.

"I don't think that was an important thing why we didn't win the game."

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