2023-05-16 20:08:02
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — At times the pressure of lifting the Champions League trophy has been unbearable for Manchester City players.
Real Madrid is the complete opposite, getting bored of breaking records in the biggest event at club level in European football.
Such a contrast is one of the several edges that make Wednesday’s semifinal in the Champions League between the two so exciting.
The City has spent more than 1,000 million dollars to nourish itself with the best talent, but time and time once more it has been left in debt in the continental tournament.
Not even Pep Guardiola — a two-time European champion as Barcelona manager — has been able to change that. And with each passing year, the pressure mounts for him to win the only major trophy that has eluded City since the English club was acquired by the Abu Dhabi royal family.
“It’s what the club lacks, and with all the money that the owners have invested in this club, all that investment, we have that debt,” the City defender acknowledged on Tuesday. locker room. We know what the ultimate goal is.”
The teams drew 1-1 to open the tie in Madrid last week, with the winner leaving as the heavy favorites to lift the title. Inter and AC Milan led the other semi-final, with Inter leading 2-0 following the first leg.
Guardiola did not agree with Walker’s view that there is a debt to City’s owners. He often downplays the obligation to win a Champions League following sweeping English football over a seven-year cycle.
“My legacy here is already exceptional,” Guardiola said on Tuesday. “We have come here many times, we are not stupid, we know how important the game is. It may be the most important since I’ve been here. I told the players to live in the moment, to enjoy it”
Guardiola is within reach of leading City to their fifth Premier League title in six years, as well as staying in the running for a treble of trophies, including the Champions League and FA Cup.
In any case, the feeling is that Guardiola is directly responsible for increasing that pressure to reign in Europe for the third time as a coach. Perhaps that expectation has taken its toll on his teams at decisive moments in the tournament.
City’s eliminations have been characterized by hectic circumstances, and usually once morest opponents they were supposed to defeat, such as Monaco, Tottenham and Lyon.
They have missed victories, none like last year in the second leg of a semifinal once morest Madrid. City led 5-3 on aggregate going into 90 minutes at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, but lost 6-5 following extra time.
For its part, Madrid is the model of the epic in the European Cup, owners of a record 14 titles. The Spanish giant has reached the semifinals in 11 of the last 13 editions.
While City have fallen apart many times, there is no club with more poise than Madrid.
“For Real Madrid, the ‘Champions’ is special because of the history it has,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti. “It is a club that is capable of keeping this history alive with the players, it is one of its great qualities, its history and that the players who have made it have not been forgotten”.
It’s been 12 years since Guardiola last won the Champions League in charge of Barcelona. Despite directing two of the European weights since then, Bayern Munich and City, he has only reached the final that they lost to Chelsea in 2021.
He has not been able to capture the title without the help of Lionel Messi, the bulwark of his Barcelona.
His European fiascoes with City have coincided in the midst of overwhelming dominance in England.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the best team in the world, you’re not 100 percent sure that you’re going to win,” Ancelotti said. “It’s not just regarding quality, but regarding the mental part, regarding the personality to endure difficult times.”
“Courage and personality are a very important component in these matches because there is very high pressure and you don’t always have the personality to show your quality, which is impressive in this team,” added the Italian.
Wednesday’s game might confirm if City have finally learned from their previous European disappointments.
They showed integrity in the first leg by rescuing the 1-1 draw following Madrid set the tone for long stretches.
City’s strength at home in the Champions League also rows in their favor, with 25 games without losing at the Etihad Stadium.
“It’s in our hands, it depends on us, we don’t have to do anything exceptional, just be ourselves and give it our all,” Guardiola remarked.
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