Quarter-finals of the Champions League, or as football fans say: the beginning of the time when Pep Guardiola tries to show his genius – and falls on his face …
In 2009 and 2011, the coach won the first division with Barcelona, and since then he has tried unsuccessfully. With Bayern, he failed three times in Spanish clubs and did not reach the final. With City he failed once in the round of 16 and three times in the quarter-finals. In 2020, he trained himself against Lyon, surprisingly letting his team play 3-5-2 instead of the well-rehearsed 4-3-3 system – and he lost. Last year he left defensive midfielders Fernandinho and Rodri off the field, playing unprotected in midfield but with full force in attack. The plan didn’t work again, and City never found its rhythm and lost 0:1.
01:56
After the BVB star’s TV debut
Jockle’s theory of Hummels
Source: IMAGE
Ahead of the quarter-final against Atlético Madrid, Guardiola was now asked if he again had any tactical ideas especially for duels with coach Diego Simeone. He responded with a mixture of humor and sarcasm: “I always think a lot about the Champions League. This is where I come in a lot. That’s why I always get such good results. I like to think things through and then come up with a stupid tactic. Tonight I will be inspired, and then tomorrow it will be There is an incredible tactic. There are twelve of us!”
Have you seen a lot of Bavaria? Bayern was briefly on the field with 12 players due to a mistake that occurred on Saturday in Freiburg…
Guardiola and City are the favorites in the duel. However, the coach warns of an opponent who kicked out his city rival ManUnited in the round of 16: “If you’re studying Atlético, there’s a misunderstanding about how he (Simeone) left him to play. He’s more offensive than you think. They don’t want to risk, but when the ball is in our half.” They know exactly how to act at certain moments.”
Pep continues: “You can’t give them any space, not an inch. As a team they will try not to make any mistakes in the central areas. They are incredibly aggressive. If they win the ball, they will play quickly. They are the champions of Spain. And for the past 20 years, they’ve been This league is the champion (in Europe).”
Guardiola firmly dismissed the question of whether “nice football” from Manchester will meet “ugly football” from Madrid on Tuesday: “I won’t talk for a second about such stupid discussions. Everyone is trying to win the game. If they win they are right, if we win we are.” Right. There are many ways to play football which mainly depend on the qualities of the players.”
