Much will be written about the trip to Abu Dhabi in the middle of a season and the logic of landing back in the country 21 hours before a match. But was City's mid-season jaunt behind their staggering loss to Middlesbrough? It would certainly appear so. Manuel Pellegrini watches on as his Manchester City side were beaten 2-0 by Middlesbrough on Saturday But the City boss refused to blame their week-long trip to Abu Dhabi for the FA Cup defeat City players James Milner (left), Dedryck Boyata (centre) and Fernando look dejected after their side concede In the first half there was little evidence of what was to follow.
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Manchester City lost 2-0 to Middlesbrough in their FA Cup third round tie
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Goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike sealed a deserved win for Boro
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The champions went on a mid-season warm-weather training camp to Abu Dhabi during the international break
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However, they arrived back in the UK just 21 hours before the cup clash
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City players weren't at the races and their minds looked elsewhere as they were easily beaten by the Championship outfit
Patrick Bamford raced through to put @placeholder ahead early in the second half