Pep Guardiola has admitted to making some tactical changes ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid but insists he doesn’t think too much about it.
City host Real Madrid at the Etihad on Wednesday night for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, having drawn 1-1 in Spain.
Real ended City’s dreams of winning a maiden Champions League title in spectacular fashion at this very stadium 12 months ago and hope to do it all again this year.
However, Guardiola and his team are desperate to beat the La Liga giants and continue their quest for a historic treble.
To do so, Guardiola has decided to change tactics but insists it’s ‘nothing special’ and it’s ‘nothing different from what they’ve done in the past’.
Pep Guardiola has admitted to making some tactical changes ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday night
Speaking at City’s press conference on Tuesday, Guardiola said: “I have an idea to do something differently, just to be more fluid in attack.”
He then reassured City fans: “It’s nothing special huh. I’m not thinking too much about tomorrow, don’t worry guys. Nothing different to what we’ve done in the past.
When asked what he was looking to change, Guardiola replied: “I hope you can see tomorrow.” I can’t tell you, except Carlo [Ancelotti] will hear…’
Guardiola has already been criticized for overthinking his Champions League tactics.
In Guardiola’s first season as City boss, the Premier League giants came on against Monaco in the round of 16 and secured a 5-3 first-leg lead.
However, they squandered their advantage and ended up losing the tie due to defensive shortcomings.
The following year, the City boss decided to play Aymeric Laporte in an unfamiliar position on the left side of the defense against Liverpool at Anfield.
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Unsurprisingly, Laporte was completely out of depth and Mohamed Salah, the dangerman he was supposed to score, scored after just 12 minutes.
As a result, Liverpool won the match 3-0 and progressed to the next stage of the competition 5-1 on aggregate.
Guardiola was looking to turn the tide in 2019 and keep his quadruple hopes alive when they faced Spurs in the quarter-finals. However, it wasn’t meant to be.
Guardiola decided to deploy Fabian Delph against the blistering speed of Heung-min Son and dropped Kevin De Bruyne in the first leg.
They looked like a shadow of their usual personality and lost 1-0, eventually leaving the competition on away goals after a crazy seven-goal thriller at the Etihad.
The misery did not stop there. City pulled out of the tournament in 2020 after facing Lyon in the quarter-finals.
It looked like an easy task for Guardiola, but he was guilty of overthinking his tactics before the game.
The Spaniard ditched his familiar 4-3-3 for a three-man defense and left several Manchester City stars on the bench.
In Guardiola’s first season as City boss, the Premier League giants secured a 5-3 first-leg lead. However, they squandered their advantage and ended up losing the tie
Dejected City players walk past the trophy after suffering defeat to Chelsea in the 2021 final
City made the 2021 final and faced Chelsea, but Guardiola left Rodri and Fernandinho – who had featured in 60 of City’s 61 games that season – on the bench and ended up losing 1-0.
Guardiola waited until the 56th minute to bring on Riyaz Mahrez and the Premier League giants ended up losing the game 3-1.
City made it to the 2021 final and faced Chelsea, but Guardiola left Rodri and Fernandinho – who had featured in 60 of City’s 61 games that season – on the bench.
Guardiola pulled out all the stops in attack with De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Mahrez, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva all starters but confused as to their roles.
Chelsea won 1-0 and City’s best chance of claiming that elusive first Champions League crown was begging.
More soon…
