As Manchester City completed the training session that would determine the tactical approach to their night of immortality, Pep Guardiola gathered the squad into a huddle.
He is generally a bit more aggressive on the grass at home than in stadiums, reasoning that it is pointless to rile up players on match days. They either want it or they don’t want it; The little he can say at that moment will make a big difference.
But Guardiola called it a day off after flying to Istanbul for the Champions League final last June. He lost it in a way that emphasized that Inter Milan were not frauds and made it clear what City could achieve.
‘Let me be clear. It gets awkward. You know I’m damn right,” he shouted as he pushed a few. ‘It’s once in a lifetime. We will not experience this situation again. Once in 150 years of English football. Once. There was only one team that did it.”
Little did he know that ten months later the T-word would resurface. The idea of winning another Treble is beginning to crystallize after Liverpool’s draw with Manchester United on Sunday and if City survive Tuesday’s first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at the Bernabeu, it will only shine further.
Pep Guardiola will take on Real Madrid in what promises to be another epic Champions League clash
Guardiola led City to a Treble last season and is now embarking on a historic double Treble
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Guardiola won’t entertain the idea, but the possibility exists if City board the plane home alive in this tie, the latest in their giant tetralogy with Real Madrid. City have prevailed twice, in 2020 and last season, with their performances 12 months ago fueled by their capitulation in the Spanish capital a year earlier.
Madrid can still be a threat in transition, but with Jude Bellingham they are a different animal
Carlo Ancelotti, one suspects, will now use Madrid’s own surrender against the Etihad in the second leg of last year’s semi-final, when they were defeated 4-0, as fuel. “Beating Real twice in the same way is almost impossible,” Guardiola warned.
Although Ancelotti – with his trademark curious brow – admitted with his usual calm even before this tie that he was nervous. Last time he pointed out a lack of courage, personality and bravery.
“There is a bit of pain before the games,” he said. ‘Pain and suffering are part of your job.’
The Italian is the only man to have won the Champions League more times than Guardiola. Funny enough, he was asked not to tinker with the team. An accusation of overthinking before meeting Guardiola is certainly something to laugh about. “I’m not going to do anything strange,” Ancelotti laughed.
However, Guardiola has a lot to think about and tonight’s team selection will test the pragmatism of City, whose back three looked far too open at Crystal Palace on Saturday. They handled the occasions well at the Bernabéu, always having more possession and not playing at a certain pace. Even Madrid’s terrifying comeback in 2022 came after City had managed them perfectly for 90 minutes.
City are still fighting on three fronts in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League
That conservatism may have to take a different slant without having captain Kyle Walker to deal with Vinicius Junior. In his absence, Guardiola could be forgiven for trying something different to spare young Rico Lewis from a terrifying night against the electric Brazilian. Josko Gvardiol is doubtful after not training in front of the cameras yesterday.
“We are missing a few pieces,” Guardiola said. ‘It is true that Kyle is the best player to control a player like Vinicius. Unfortunately, he was injured during an international friendly match. We have a lot of injuries in the same department at the back and we have to find a solution. We have to think more overnight.
‘Everyone knows the strengths of the transitions they have with Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Vinicius. But we can’t just come here to control the game, we have to come here to try to hurt them, to punish them, to let them know that we are here to score the goals. We have to impose our game with who we are.”
Ancelotti’s side can still pose a threat in transition, but they are a different animal at Bellingham, less direct with an extra midfielder.
The streets of Madrid are everywhere decorated with his face. Twenty goals and ten assists, all while wearing Zinedine Zidane’s number 5 shirt, have turned Bellingham into a Galactico overnight and this meeting with City – who knew long before last summer that they had missed him – is a new opportunity to strengthen that.
Madrid are not surprised by the 20-year-old’s quality, but by his maturity and influence in the dressing room. “When you talk to him, you have the feeling that this man has already seen everything in his life,” claimed Antonio Rüdiger.
Real Madrid are hoping to avenge last season’s Champions League defeat to City
Guardiola doesn’t want to talk about another Treble, but the possibility exists as City board the plane home still alive in their draw against Madrid
Rudiger, who lost weight dramatically for the second stage last May, could barely contain his taste during a reunion with Erling Haaland.
Haaland was again one of the goals this weekend, while Rudiger and his teammates had a week off. Ancelotti spoke of the advantage of having more than a week to prepare for this, with City coming from behind at Selhurst Park.
Tiring perhaps, even if their manager isn’t having any of it.
“I love this job,” Guardiola added. ‘I’m having a lot of fun. I get paid well and I enjoy it. I like the competition, I like coming here. I love it. The day I don’t have a good time, I go home.’