Can Guardiola find a miracle in Madrid?
Source:Â http://richportaltv.com
Knowing that Manchester City must defy logic and the odds in a unique venue that often saves its miracles for Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola strolled into the opulent surroundings of the Bernabeu Stadium.
After playing for Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City in the Champions League, he has experienced every emotion in this storied venue.
And knowing that winning will be one of his greatest accomplishments, Guardiola will once again appear beneath those imposing stands on Wednesday with his friend and fierce rival, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
According to Guardiola, City has a “1%” chance of overcoming a 3-2 deficit from the first leg of this play-off to advance to the round of 16.
Additionally, residents believe Guardiola is erring on the side of optimism, according to a survey conducted in the city that has hosted more Champions League winning parades than any other.
When Guardiola faced the media in the Bernabeu, which was considered enemy territory when he was a player and coach for Barcelona, he was composed and his message was very clear.
His words, “We have to make it almost the perfect game,” “We must launch an offensive. We must score goals. This is the concept.
Guardiola is determined City will not leave the Bernabeu wondering or with regrets, saying: “We must play with courage. We must be ourselves. It will need incredible courage and we must play to win.
“We could still lose, but we have to show that courage and be ourselves. We have to play so well, especially after the result we took away in the first leg.”
Opta statistics rate City’s chances of advancing at a more optimistic 19.8%, but those percentages must be viewed through the prism of Real’s history in this tournament and the muscle memory that kicks in for the 15-time winners when it matters.
Guardiola’s record with City against Real is chequered, though it started with victory in the last 16 in 2020, the two legs being played six months apart because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two years later, the most bitter moment occurred when Rodrygo scored twice in a matter of seconds after City had taken a two-goal aggregate lead in the 90th minute of the second leg of the semi-final at the Bernabeu. Karim Benzema’s injury-time penalty then helped Real win the final in Paris over Liverpool.
Real Madrid lost 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-final, and the Spanish champions won on penalties the previous season when Guardiola, then manager of Manchester City, won his third Champions League title in 2023 after winning with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.
He said, “I have some incredible memories here—sometimes good ones, sometimes not so good.
“We know at this stage, and in this stadium, the pressure is there—but you get that in Milan, in Barcelona, at Anfield. You have to suffer at these places, but you have to reduce those moments.”
Real’s remarkable win against City in 2022 is the sort of sporting lightning strike Guardiola will seek to turn back on them, but he must do it with a fading team that has lost its domestic supremacy after winning a historic four successive Premier Leagues and now faces the prospect of going out of the Champions League before the last 16 for the first time in 12 years.
It could even be a Champions League farewell to Manchester City for modern greats of the club such as Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, and goalkeeper Ederson, while others such as Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic are also in their 30s.
Guardiola would not be drawn as he said, “I would like to answer this, but it will be at the end of the season. We still have a lot to play for; to qualify for the Champions League next season, we are still there in the Champions League this season. We have the FA Cup and the Club World Cup.”
Silva went on, “I would not have believed you if you had told me at the beginning of the season that we would be in this position in both the Premier League and the Champions League. Because of where we ended ourselves, we deserve to be in this difficult circumstance.
“We must have faith. Although we still think we can win, this season is undoubtedly a lesson for the future.
That future is now for Manchester City—on Wednesday in the harsh, merciless environment of the Bernabeu.
And it will be on par with Guardiola’s greatest career accomplishments if he can overcome the “1%” odds in this footballing cathedral.