Before their semi-final first leg against Madrid on Tuesday, all the signals are green for the Skyblues, who have 16 wins in 17 games. What seriously eyeing the supreme title in C1.
The next will be the good one… In the north of England, the same refrain has been ringing out for Manchester City for fifteen years. Since the takeover of the club by Emirati investors in 2008, the Cityzens have dreamed of winning the Champions League. Now accustomed to the last four with a qualification for this stage of the competition in the last three seasons, they intend to reach a Grail which they came very close to in 2021 with a defeat in the final against Chelsea (0-1).
Before their semi-final first leg against the defending champion, Real Madrid on Tuesday May 9 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the band of Pep Guardiola is leaving with solid arguments. Still in the race for a triple cup-championship-C1, City has reason to believe that it is finally the right year for a European coronation.
Because Erling Haaland walks on water
The mere mention of Erling Haaland’s record would be enough to make any defense shudder. 51 goals in 46 games. For his first season in England, the Norwegian aligns records with Manchester City, including that of the number of achievements in a Premier League season (35).
But beyond being a scoring machine, the Cyborg has managed to develop its game in recent months to also make itself indispensable in the construction of Mancunian offensives.
Accused in February of making the game of the Skyblues far too predictable, even of not sticking to the philosophy of the club, the striker has since put his science of placement at the service of the collective. A few days after his bright opening for Bernardo Silva against Bayern Munich (3-0), he offered two superb assists to Kevin de Bruyne during the shock against Arsenal (4-1).
“Erling is an incredible threat. We played very differently in past seasons with a false nine. This year, the connection between Kevin and Erling is extraordinary and we tried to use it as much as possible”also underlined Pep Guardiola after the victory of his formation.
Because Guardiola has found the right formula
Behind this unstoppable offensive doublet, the Catalan coach has also found his magic formula. Often singled out for his tactical poker moves before decisive C1 matches – his choice to switch to five defenders during the quarter-final lost against Lyon in 2020 (1-3) or even not to field a defensive midfielder during the 2021 final -, the one who has been chasing the European title since 2011 now has a clear idea of his eleven type. And it works well since the Cityzens remain on 16 wins in 17 games.
With England defender John Stones moved back into midfield to act as a real hub, City’s three-man defense gained stability, also thanks to an Ruben Dias found, an uninhibited Manuel Akanji and a finally mature Nathan Aké after three seasons at the club.
“All four were exceptional in dealing with the threat from depth represented by the speed of Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sané”, rightly congratulated Guardiola after the first leg against Bayern (3-0 victory). This is good since Real Madrid also presents itself with two particularly lively wingers (Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo).
Because Real are no longer so dominating
But to judge whether or not Manchester has enough to hope to lift the big-eared cup, we must also take into account their opponents. In the other semi-final, AC Milan and Inter can create the feat. But it is clear, before the start of hostilities in the last four, that in a final before the hour against Real Madrid, Manchester City seems to leave with a small lead.
So yes, this Real knows the recipe for overturning mountains in the Champions League and demonstrated it again last year at the same stage of the competition by eliminating City, it had no trouble getting rid of Liverpool (5 -2, 1-0) and Chelsea (2-0, 2-0) in the previous rounds, and he has just won the Copa del Rey…
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But like his Ballon d’Or Karim Benzema, less regular because he was disturbed by several injuries, the calm and pragmatic team Carlo Ancelotti is a little less efficient this season. As proof, Real, dropped in the league by Barça, has resolved to let go of ballast to focus on its European campaign, even if it means being overtaken by its rival Atlético in La Liga.
The game may be worth the candle, but on paper, Manchester City advances with more certainty. It remains to be seen whether the 2023 vintage will finally be the right one.