Once the Manchester City training session that would define the tactical approach of their night of immortality was over, Pep Guardiola gathered the squad in a huddle.
He is generally a little more aggressive on the home pitch than inside the stadiums, and reasons that trying to irritate players on match days is an exercise in futility. Either they want it or they don’t; The little you can say at that moment will make a big difference.
But a day away from flying to Istanbul for the Champions League final last June, Guardiola gave some effort. He lost it in a way that he emphasized that Inter Milan were no pushovers and he made clear the magnitude of what City could achieve.
‘Let me be clear. It’s going to be awkward, you know, I’m fucking right,” she shouted, shoving a couple of them. ‘It’s once in a lifetime. We are not going to experience this situation again. Once in 150 years of English football. Once. “Only one team did it.”
However, what he didn’t know was that 10 months later, the T word would resurface. The idea of winning another treble has begun to crystallize after Liverpool’s draw against Manchester United on Sunday and, if City survive at the Bernabeu in the first leg of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final, it will only shine further.
Pep Guardiola is ready to battle Real Madrid in what promises to be another epic Champions League encounter.
Guardiola led City to a treble last season and is now embarking on a historic double treble
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Guardiola will not accept the idea, but there is a possibility that City will board their plane back home still alive in this tie, the last of their titanic tetralogy with Real Madrid. City have prevailed twice, in 2020 and last season, the performances of 12 months ago being boosted by their capitulation in the Spanish capital a year earlier.
Madrid may continue to be a threat in transitions, but they are a different animal under Jude Bellingham
It is suspected that Carlo Ancelotti will now use as fuel Madrid’s own surrender at the Etihad in the second leg of last year’s semi-finals, when they were beaten 4-0. “Beating Real Madrid in the same way twice is almost impossible,” warned Guardiola.
Although with his usual coolness, Ancelotti, with that characteristic inquisitive eyebrow, admitted that he was nervous before this tie. Last time he pointed out a lack of courage, personality and bravery.
“There’s a little bit of soreness before games,” he said. ‘Pain and suffering are part of your job.’
The Italian is the only one who has won the Champions League more times than Guardiola. Curiously, they begged him not to play with the team. An accusation of thinking too much before meeting Guardiola is certainly something to smile about. “I’m not going to do anything strange,” Ancelotti laughed.
However, Guardiola has plenty to reflect on and tonight’s team selection will test the pragmatism of City, whose back three looked too open at Crystal Palace on Saturday. They have managed the Bernabéu’s chances well, always showing off more ball and without playing at a certain pace. Even Madrid’s unsettling injury-time comeback in 2022 came after City had handled them perfectly for 90 minutes.
City continues to fight on three fronts: Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League
That conservatism may have to take a different approach 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 a dreadful night against the electric Brazilian. Josko Gvardiol is a doubt after not training in front of the cameras yesterday.
“We are missing some pieces,” Guardiola said. “It is true that the best player to control a player like Vinicius is Kyle. Unfortunately, he was injured in an international friendly match. We have many injuries in the same department among the four defenders 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 to control the game, we have to come here to try to hurt them, punish them, let them know that we are here to score goals. We have to impose our game with who we are.”
Ancelotti’s side can still pose a threat in transitions, but they are a different animal with Bellingham, less direct with an extra midfielder.
The streets of Madrid are decorated with his face everywhere. Twenty goals and 10 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 lost it) is another chance to cement that.
Madrid have been surprised not by the quality of the 20-year-old, but by his maturity and influence within the locker room. “If you talk to him, you feel like he’s seen everything in life,” said Antonio Rudiger.
Real Madrid hopes to avenge the defeat of the last Champions League against City
Guardiola does not want to talk about another treble, but there is a possibility if City board the plane back home still alive in the match against Madrid.
Rudiger, dropped dramatically for the second leg last May, could barely contain his enthusiasm for the reunion with Erling Haaland.
Haaland was again among the goals of the weekend, while Rudiger and his teammates had the week off. Ancelotti spoke of the advantage of having more than a week to prepare for this, with his feet up as City came from behind at Selhurst Park.
Tired, perhaps, although his manager isn’t having any of that.
“I love this business,” Guardiola added. ‘I’m having a great time. They pay me well and I enjoy it. I love the competition, I love coming here. I love it. The day I don’t have a good time, I’ll go home.’