Will it finally work with City, Guardiola and the Champions League?

The quarter-finals of the Champions League are now over and the first surprises are perfect. After two exciting games between Real Madrid and Chelsea FC, the royals are in the semi-finals of the European premier class.

In the first leg in London, Thomas Tuchel’s team had to admit defeat to an outstanding Benzema and his three goals. In the second leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, it looked like a dream game for the Blues, who went into the Champions League as the defending champions. After 75 minutes they were on course for the semifinals with a 3:0 lead, and in the meantime even got a goal denied.

A late goal from Rodrygo sent Madrid into extra time with a psychological advantage that Benzema himself decided with a header. The Frenchman scored his seventh goal in the last three Champions League matches for Real and is currently their life insurance policy.

The quarter-finals must have tasted extremely bitter for FC Bayern Munich as well. In Villarreal they deservedly lost 1-0 against a clever opponent who also shot Juventus Turin out of the competition. A late equalizer in the second leg finally ensured that the yellow submarine around coach Unai Emery once again deservedly progressed a round.

For the remaining games in the quarterfinals, Liverpool FC went into the second leg against Benfica Lisbon with a 3-1 first leg result with good cards. With a slightly weakened starting formation, the Merseyside team made a good impression and didn’t miss a beat. After a 3-1 lead again, two goals from Benfica towards the end of the game created some tension again, but the bottom line was that they could no longer pose a threat to the English.

City, on the other hand, made it a lot more exciting in their match against Atletico Madrid. The two English teams, which are currently also very close to fighting for the Premier League crown, are currently the two top favorites in the tournament. If you look at the odds of , the Reds from Liverpool are a nose ahead. But Manchester City is hungry, playing a solid and concentrated season both nationally and internationally. Your squad is undoubtedly one of the strongest in Europe and coach Pep Guardiola has also been considered one of the best in his field for years.

City fights through

Since the Spaniard took over from the Citizens, there have been a few titles on the credit side, but it shouldn’t work with the prestigious handle pot yet, despite the frequent role as a favourite. The exceptional coach was last successful more than 10 years ago during his first coaching position at FC Barcelona. In 2009 and 2011 he won the Champions League with the now iconic squad. In his subsequent stations, Bayern Munich and since 2016 Manchester City, he was denied success. But especially with the Cityzens, he broke a number of win and point records, so the question has to be asked whether winning the premier class will still work at all.

In the first leg against Atletico, they faced two chains of five, which made the offensive game extremely difficult. Kevin De Bruyne, leader and undisputed performer at the club, only redeemed the team in the 70th minute. The Spaniards around coach Diego Simeone had neither a shot on goal nor a shot in general after the full 90 minutes. The game underscored Man City’s balance both front and back. In the Premier League you have the best defense and after Liverpool, who have possibly the best attack in Europe, you also have the best attack.

The second leg clearly showed that the Spanish capital club wanted to show off with more offensive power. However, a really nice game did not come about and the spectators only saw a total of four shots on goal in the game, none of which found their way into the goal at 0:0. Many Citizens players fell short of their chances, but Guardiola’s team still had more play, especially in the first half. In the second 45 minutes, the encounter changed a bit in Atletico’s favour, which was also noticeable mentally. Many unusual mistakes and uncertainties crept in at Manchester, which international Ilkay Gündogan led onto the field as captain. The final minutes in particular were tough, with the formation of packs, a red card for Felipe and more than ten minutes of stoppage time. A highly emotional game that brought City to the semifinals.

Mental opposites in the semifinals

Pep Guardiola and his team now meet Real Madrid, who are very familiar with difficult games. This is exactly where the Sky Blues’ Champions League problem could lie. They reached the final last season, but were beaten by Chelsea, who were actually weaker over the season as a whole. The year before, they won both quarter-finals against Real Madrid before Olympique Lyon were the conquerors. Here, too, the Citizens should have done much better in their normal condition, especially in terms of performance at national level.

It seemed to be the team’s major shortcoming to bring the little international experience paired with their potential onto the pitch. Real Madrid, on the other hand, have a huge psychological advantage after winning three consecutive titles, which has seen them emerge as the eventual winners in many games throughout the tournament. A star-studded team rarely loses its nerve, on the contrary seems to get even stronger when the odds are bad. Most recently it was against Chelsea, where they still scored the decisive goals to progress from a clear deficit.

Real Madrid knows exactly how Champions League works, but Manchester City don’t yet. What has to be credited to the English is that the team has gained a lot of experience over the years, also from bitter experiences. In addition, many Englishmen have become vice European champions in a team with the national team, which teaches a lot of nerves of steel. With De Bruyne, Gündogan and Bernardo Silva there are also strategists in the team who have established themselves at the top level and now also have the leadership qualities to give the team the necessary security.

A few years ago, the second leg against Atletico Madrid might have ended very differently and a semi-final might not have had to be reported, so that’s a good sign. Nevertheless, with Real Madrid, the most dangerous opponent is waiting for City, who above all have to keep a cool head. Should this year’s project fail, the question will certainly arise as to whether Guardiola and City will continue to work together.