Manchester City manager has been uber-serene of late but his clash with Ángel Correa on Tuesday night was instructiveThere was a glaring reveal towards the end of Manchester City’s deserved victory against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. With Jack Grealish on the floor, Ángel Correa smashed the ball into the No 10’s face. It was on the touchline. It was right by Pep Guardiola. And City’s manager did not like it at all.So: he entered the pitch and shoved Correa. He stuck up for his player. Bravo. He might also have been booked or even sent off. But Istvan Kovacs ignored the seething 51-year-old and booked Correa. Continue reading...
Foden started on the bench but after little more than a minute on the pitch his dribble and pass led to Manchester City’s goalKevin De Bruyne scored the only goal of the game, and Manchester City’s players gathered by the corner flag in front of their fans. “Celebrated” would probably be pushing it a bit. For the curious thing about City’s winning goal was how deeply unimpressed they all seemed about it. De Bruyne’s features were contorted into a growl. Bernardo Silva bellowed defiantly into the stands. Nathan Aké, to be honest, just looked buzzing to be there.On the touchline Pep Guardiola angrily hurled a water bottle to the ground, furious at himself for feeling such relief. Continue reading...
Scarred by an elimination as Bayern’s coach, the manager’s urge to take chance out of last-four ties undermines City’s chancesThe biggest obstacle to Pep Guardiola winning another Champions League, it is widely accepted, is Pep Guardiola. There cannot be a Manchester City knockout tie in the Champions League without talk of his tendency to overthink.The most dramatic moment of last season’s final came when the lineups were released an hour before kick-off and neither Rodri nor Fernandinho were included. It’s what elevates Guardiola above the throng: he is not merely a great manager, but also a flawed hero: he is Faustus, he is Oedipus, he is Charles Foster Kane. Continue reading...
Cristiano Ronaldo had no shots on target and Ralf Rangnick’s changes made no sense against a ruthless Atlético MadridDeep into the 94th minute at Old Trafford, Manchester United swarmed forward for one last attack. As the famous red shirts massed ominously in the penalty area, the Stretford End rose as one, shouted as one, dreamed in vivid noise and colour of a classic United comeback. Meanwhile, surging forward with the ball at his feet, the messenger at the gates of glory, was Nemanja Matic.Well, Matic carried on running. Slowed. Slowed a little more. Took a look up. Panicked. Remembered that he still had a football at his feet. Spotted Marcus Rashford on the right wing: the simplest and least threatening...
Cristiano Ronaldo cut an isolated figure for Manchester United against a team he has hurt countless times in the pastThere was a moment just before half-time at the Wanda Metropolitano when Cristiano Ronaldo stood on the penalty spot, delivered a shrug of the shoulders, pulled a face and raised a finger: one, just one. None of his Manchester United teammates were really looking his way and even if they had been, there was little they could do about it, and so he walked slowly back out of the area, shaking his head, alone. It was a journey he would embark upon often.All the way to the end, in fact, when he was the first player off, throwing back his arm...