When it was put to Pep Guardiola on Tuesday night time that Alvaro Arbeloa had predicted the Manchester City supervisor to spring a shock or two, he grinned, nodded his head and stated, sarcastically — or so it appeared — “a lot of surprises”.
Well, he was not being sarcastic, was he? Twenty-four hours later, a considerably unfancied Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-0 after Guardiola ripped up his plans from latest weeks, and arguably a basis of his total method as supervisor.
Defensive errors have been an enormous a part of the story, the type that can’t actually be legislated for irrespective of the line-up, however Guardiola’s attack-minded workforce misplaced their early power after Madrid’s first purpose. They weren’t constructed to shuffle the ball round solemnly, which occurred as a result of Madrid tore by way of them, sapping their enthusiasm.
The beginning line-up, owing to Guardiola’s longstanding repute for ‘overthinking’, had turn into the biggest story.
“I would be very surprised if he doesn’t change any structure on how the team plays or attacks,” Arbeloa had stated of Guardiola at his pre-match press convention. “He thinks a lot.”
Some eyebrows have been raised earlier than kick-off when Guardiola duly named a significantly totally different workforce from latest weeks, though it didn’t, on the time, really feel like a serious misstep. It did by the top.
That stated, Guardiola disputes the concept he truly made that many modifications in any respect.
Erling Haaland after a missed probability in Madrid (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“There were not many changes,” he stated at the beginning of his reply. “Rotation we have done in Newcastle, I played nine different players,” he stated on the finish of it.
In latest weeks, City have typically performed with a 4-2-2-2 — a ‘box’ in midfield, with two on the base and two on the tip. Sometimes it can look extra like a diamond, however it is slender in nature, with the width offered by the full-backs.
Nico O’Reilly has been a key a part of the midfield set-up, Rayan Ait-Nouri has changed him at left again and Matheus Nunes has completed the identical width-providing job on the opposite aspect, as he has all season.
O’Reilly’s presence in midfield has complemented Bernardo Silva and Rodri, and between them, they’ve fashioned a powerful unit. The fourth midfielder has modified a bit, however Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki have completed effectively within the center, behind Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo up entrance, often.
On Wednesday night time, there was little of that. Nunes was out totally, as was Ait-Nouri. O’Reilly was again at left-back and Guardiola introduced again his wingers, but in addition caught with Semenyo and Haaland up entrance. Bernardo and Rodri seemed uncovered.
“How many times has Nico O’Reilly played left-back this season, how many times?” Guardiola requested again, referring to his determination to maneuver the 20-year-old again to a job he has performed many occasions over the previous 12 months. “The solely factor we adjusted was (Abdukodir) Khusanov in that space as a result of with Vinicius Junior in that space, we would like a man who can management that.
“Savinho played incredibly well against Newcastle, Jeremy (Doku) is always an incredible threat, people arrived, experience from Bernardo and Rodri, we have runners with Nico and Antoine in the centre of the goal, the set pieces, that was the idea.
“Rotation we have done in Newcastle, I played nine different players. Understand what I’m saying, but the target is wingers to try to drop them, people in the middle, in the pockets to arrive close to the box, control to the second striker with experienced players, fast players behind, that was the idea.”
When Guardiola speaks like that, itemizing his logic, it is difficult to sit down there and disagree, however whereas the victory at Newcastle within the FA Cup on Saturday augured effectively, it appeared to steer him to go for one thing formidable on the Bernabeu.
The efficiency at St James’ Park was good; the wingers have been vibrant, having returned from damage lately, and City did effectively with a again three in possession, reasonably than sending their full-backs large. When Guardiola was requested to outline what his workforce is all about, he referenced the best way they’d performed at Newcastle.
Whatever folks considered the line-up earlier than kick-off, in favour or not, it felt like City have been going for a giant win. This was a Madrid workforce which have misplaced just a few video games lately and are with out star names, together with Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo.
Marc Guehi reacts on the finish of City’s heavy defeat in Spain (Oscar Del Pozo/Getty Images)
It is tempting to imagine that Guardiola smelled blood and needed to place his outdated rivals to the sword of their own yard, however that isn’t particularly Guardiola-like. For him to make stunning modifications in massive video games, often Champions League video games, can most likely be anticipated. For him to attempt to blow a workforce out of the water within the first leg, on the threat of being undone on the counter-attack and leaving the second leg near a misplaced trigger, just isn’t like him in any respect.
There is a protracted record of Guardiola brainwaves through the years, and a fair longer one of many occasions he has thrown in a curveball however no one remembers it as a result of they received. One of their best nights, the 2-1 victory over Liverpool in 2019, felt a bit bizarre, with Danilo at right-back and Aymeric Laporte at left-back. There was uproar in 2023 when he picked what appeared to be a possession-focused aspect against RB Leipzig.
“Like the Twitter guys or like all the people, I have more info,” Guardiola stated after that one. “I am sorry. I’m right, today I’m right.” City had received 7-0.
Those have been the times when Guardiola would face a Champions League sport seeking to hold issues tight and below management, one thing he would basically all the time do in massive matches away from house.
He truly did that within the first leg against Leipzig, a uninteresting 1-1 draw that paved the best way for the second leg annihilation. They did that against Madrid two rounds later, securing a 1-1 draw earlier than a historic 4-0 trouncing. They drew 5 of their away video games within the season they received it, and they didn’t make many modifications to their line-up all through the knockout phases both.
Nor did they on the best way to the 2021 ultimate, which was the primary season he had completed that. And then within the ultimate he didn’t choose both Rodri or Fernandinho, the one determination that can usually be introduced up in late-night conversations amongst City followers forevermore (that stated, neither of these gamers have been of their prime, and the biggest mistake, one which many say Guardiola and his workers regretted most, was bringing in Raheem Sterling, who had been out of the line-up for weeks).
No matter the id of the gamers, the purpose has often been the identical. Control. Keep issues tight. Do not do something silly.
That is what makes Wednesday night time’s defeat, and the backstory to it, so stunning. Keeping issues tight away from house is a basic a part of the Guardiola playbook. During his time at Bayern Munich, he stated his determination to hearken to his gamers and go all-out assault against Real Madrid, reasonably than do issues his possession-focused method, was “the biggest f***-up of my career”.
Maybe Wednesday night time’s defeat is simply too contemporary within the reminiscence however he appeared to make the same determination for the sport on the Bernabeu and the mistake could be deemed equally sized.
We could solely get the total context in time. On Tuesday night time, he was speaking in regards to the want for City to imagine in themselves. “We have to visualise, ‘Oh, we are able to do good things, we can arrive in good stages’ and be aware that we can do it. Otherwise, it will be a next step and next season we will be back and we will do it again.”
If he’s at City subsequent season and he has — at the very least — yet another try and win the Champions League, there may be all the time the prospect for redemption, but when he left this summer time, and probably stepped away from membership administration for good, this could be his final sport on the Bernabeu and his final try and win the European Cup. It could additionally be the third 12 months in a row that City have been knocked out by Madrid since they received it in 2023.
Whenever Guardiola leaves City, he’ll be feted, rightly, as one of many best coaches in soccer historical past, and nights like these will be a footnote, however the newest defeat in Madrid feels so careless.
