President Khaldoon Al Mubarak told Sky Sports if he did not persistently pursue Pep Guardiola’s well-built football philosophy, Man City would not be today. After 4 years of waiting, finally, Man City reached the semi-finals of the Champions League with Pep.
No more foolishness
In the second leg last morning, when Bellingham scored the opener at Signal Iduna Park, Man City fans began to think about bad things. They are used to the image of a foolish Pep Guardiola, whenever they go to Europe, they will be afraid. Man City had never reached the semifinals of the Champions League before this season under Pep and last season was the culmination of disappointment when they lost to Lyon, even though a week ago knocked out Real Madrid. “How to make Pep grow up” – Marca newspaper once headlined the front page to describe a serious illness called Champions League Pep.
But this time is a completely different chapter, the outfit Pep has been researching to put on himself to combat the errors he has encountered over time. Man City calmly implemented the familiar gameplay, had an equalizer at the beginning of the second half and the most sensitive time – when the game entered the last 15 minutes – launched a rebound of the trade code that ended all Dortmund’s last hope .
Man City was close to death because the score 1-0 was just enough with the away goal but in the end, they reversed the game, pushing Dortmund into the position to score 3 more goals in 15 minutes to get a ticket to continue. . In the context of the Champions League quarter-finals at least, in front of an opponent who only needed to hold the ball 38% but still had 10 shots, Man City was really mature. They did not fall into the opponent’s trap, and the trap created by invisible pressure itself.
In a video published online, Pep once told Man City players “Look at PSG and learn. It took them 7 years in a row to fail the quarterfinals, but once they crossed the threshold, they immediately appeared in the final. You need to look into that spirit ”. Pep also shared with beIN Sport that Bellingham’s goal was a reagent for the team’s morale, a test of courage Man City needed to go through if he wanted to grow up. Man City of Pep, perhaps, is no longer naive.
Coach Pep and Man City players celebrate.
The results of endurance
After nearly 5 years, Pep spent exactly 872 million pounds for 36 big and small contracts. That means, on average, every season, Pep spends 174 million pounds. In these 36 recruits, there are 3 defenders with a great value of 60 million pounds or more and, by extension, all 10 faces are bought by Pep with a starting price of 50 million pounds.
The problem lies here: Pep has spent a lot of money, but the boss provides money for Pep that is important. More importantly: What did Pep do to persuade the leaders to pay their bills? That is what is worth mentioning. Pep is not the highest-paid coach, nor does he work for the richest team in the world and Pep’s owner is not the richest man in the world.
That is the difference of Pep, and also the strongest point of his and the team of consultants behind. Remember, Pep’s new 2-year contract was negotiated and signed at a time when Man City was in crisis. Pep lost to Mourinho 0-2 in the match they were completely pocketed by Tottenham and soon after, was the news of the extension.
The Amazon series exclusively filmed the behind-the-scenes stories of Man City with one strong detail: Pep, when signing a contract, is always interested in the element of “choosing the right project”. He needs owners who absolutely believe in him, ready to dive into the game like a bastard. Pep may not be successful in the European playground, but in the Premier League, they are an absolute force. After a season being usurped by Liverpool, Man City immediately returned, recreating inviolable power. At the very least, Pep proves that the clubs he leads tend to persevere and the Champions League, sometimes, is just a matter of the consequences of time.
Champions League 2020/21 may open a new era for Man City and personally Pep Guardiola. A title is enough for Pep to become a true legend of contemporary football, a true all-round legend: Still able to win the Champions League with superman in the squad (Messi), but capable of conquering. Europe as a team was built methodically, class passed through many periods. The result today is a product of a relationship built on the trust foundation of Pep and the Arab owner in Eithad.
13. The final victory of Man City (4-2) was the 13th in the history of the Champions League, the team that won 2-1 at home in the knockout round won the ticket. In contrast, there were 15 homeowners who were disqualified when they won this score in the first leg.
Pep’s Man City in the Champions League
Season 2016/17: Eliminated in the 1/8 round (lost to Monaco because of the away goals law, 6-6 total)
Season 2017/18: Quarterfinals eliminated (lost to Liverpool, total score 1-5)
Season 2018/19: Eliminated in the quarterfinals (lost to Tottenham because of away goals, total score of 4-4)
Season 2019/20: Quarterfinals eliminated (lost to Lyon, total score 1-3)
You must log in to post a comment.