With the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid ahead and City qualifying for the cup final against their great rivals Manchester United, City made a huge move against Everton at Goodison Park to secure their fifth Premier League title. raised. Six years on, a milestone that highlights Pep Guardiola’s daily dominance since arriving in the British Isles in 2016.
Only Italian Antonio Conte’s Chelsea in the Catalan coach’s first season and German Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool in 2020 have seized England’s throne and broken this victorious ‘citizen’ cycle which has not happened to date in maximum continental competition. Continuity.
Like Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, he was upset on the eve of the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu to play the Copa del Rey final at 10:00 pm on Saturday and with less than three days left for the clash, Guardiola was forced to . With Liverpool scheduled to play on the Sunday due to Eurovision festivities on Saturday and when City were playing the Premiership, De Bruyne, Stones, Bernardo Silva and Grealish only initially dosed in a match which saw Haaland concede a penalty and Gundogan a penalty. with a double (0-3).
If in the press conference before the match against Everton, coach Santpedor did not understand that “they have to play with the schedule” and regretted “playing on a Saturday because Eurovision is on and it seems to have enough capacity to handle so many”. There ain’t people in town at the same time”, after the victory at Goodison Park, he puffed his chest saying that “they are the only European team fighting in all competitions”. “I know we haven’t done anything yet, but it’s a dream come true to be where we are,” he declared.
“Two more, two more,” Guardiola proudly shouted to his team’s fans who had turned up in Liverpool. Two more wins in three days and they’ll be back to celebrating the league, the ninth in the ‘Skyblues’ history. But, thanks to Brighton’s surprise subsequent win against Arsenal (0-3), just one win is enough for them.
Premier League leader for a long stretch of the competition, the side led by Mikel Arteta has not caught up against the Manchester side, which has won 11 consecutive victories in domestic competition, with its last blow coming on 18 February, when they beat Nottingham Signed a tie at Forrest’s Feud.
In the wake of Arsenal, which had been unbeaten day in and day out for most of the season, Guardiola reinvented himself once again, finding new tactical drawings and with an argument as Norwegian striker Erling Haaland for everything. To be a candidate, has shown once again that, when April and May arrive and the league is decided, his Manchester City turn out to be more gluttonous and forceful than anyone else’s.
europe is different
However, great Europe is something else and Pep knows it antagonises him because, among other reasons, Madrid dominates the Champions League with an iron fist. Such is the Catalan’s reverent respect for the 14-time European champion, that at the Bernabeu he was somewhat timid in his approach as he sought a rather sterile position to contain the ball so that Madrid would not attack but without many risks. While Ancelotti’s team looks great in the Champions League suit as it grows with it, at the moment it causes a lump in the throat and excessive sweating for Guardiola’s team. It remains to be seen whether the trend reverses in a few hours.
With the memory of last year’s painful elimination and happy for the tables signed last week in Chamartin, City have the opportunity this Wednesday to complete their revenge against the King of Europe, get tickets to the grand final in Istanbul and Keep on dreaming. The treble, a feat that has only been achieved in England by Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 1999. To do this he will have all his soldiers available except for Defender AK, who will remain a doubt until the very last moment. going
