After 10 years of waiting for City owners Pep Guardiola and thirteen years, the Champions League final was finally presented to them. A golden opportunity, for which citizens have shown that they are armed.
After 10 years of waiting for City owners Pep Guardiola and thirteen years, the Champions League final was finally presented to them. A golden opportunity, for which citizens have shown that they are armed.
When he bought the club in 2008, Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nayan dreamed one day that his team would dominate Europe in football.
Barcelona double European champions on the bench in 2009 and 2011 but then absent from the C1 finals for ten years, until this season, Guardiola wanted to prove that he could also lead the consecration of a team other than the one whose He shared DNA.
“People think it’s easy to reach the final of the Champions League. But reaching the final now verifies the work we’ve done for the last four-five years,” said Catalan, who shared his previous failures with Bayern Munich Was then forced out of the city.
There is still a step to be taken, most undoubtedly, most dangerous of course, because it is a cleaver match: it passes or it breaks.
Of course, there will be a mountain in front, Real or Chelsea, who have already lifted the “cup with big ears”, even if it is 13 times for the first time and only once for the second.
– Chelsea, Scarecrow? –
Manchester City players celebrated the scoring opener by midfielder Riyad Mahrez (2G) in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris-SG on 4 May 2021 in Manchester.
Paul Ellis – AFP
His Barcelona tropism and his outstanding managerial record against Real – 11 wins and 4 draws in 19 matches – may encourage “Pep” to be given a slight preference for Madrid.
Last year, City had also outscored the Spaniards in the Round of 16, winning 2–1 twice, becoming the first team in Europe to eliminate coach Zinedine Zidan.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have a real fear for City.
A win over Stamford Bridge (3-1) in the league doesn’t really matter, as Frank Lampard was in charge and since then, the arrival of Thomas Tuchel has moved the team.
And in their only clash, the Germans took the best (1-0) in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Ironically, the two teams are meeting in the league on Saturday, with the challenge for City to validate their title, while the Blues are still in place in the Champions League for next season, which will place them in the top 4 . Premier League … win in C1.
Chelsea are one of the rare teams to be able to compete with City as well as confidence in any case – 15 wins, 6 draws and 2 defeats under Tuchel in this period of the season – as a tactical flexibility or deciding factor. In. Freshness.
– “It’s not all about the money” –
Spanish Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola before the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Paris-SG in Manchester on May 4, 2021
Paul Ellis – AFP
Whatever happens, Guardiola will have three weeks before the May 29 finals to keep everyone in mind and if this admirable European campaign taught him – or confirmed – anything, it is that salvation is his Will come with strength.
On the European and English landscapes, it was above all defense that carried civilians.
Unbeaten in this C1 – winning from 11 to 1 draw – he scored just 4 goals and scored two goals with clock regularity for his opponents in each match since the start of the final leg.
On Tuesday night, it was a double from Riyad Mahrez, already a scorer in the first leg, after spending a good portion of the match on blocks, especially in the first period, in an unusually low position goal back. to do.
Guardiola assured that this was not really a strategic plan, but that the attitude of the match dictated this attitude for him.
Regardless, his team proved a new aspect of his talent and did not face the first Paris strike after the 28th minute of the first leg.
Suffice it to say that a coronation of Citi would need to be terrifyingly strong, something that may seem unavoidable, since 2008 there have been committed commitments.
“It’s not all about the money. If you think about it, you’re wrong,” Guardiola told them Tuesday night.
By Frédéric HAPPE / Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) / © 2021 AFP
