Pep Guardiola sowed the seeds for this performance in the first half in the Camp Nou a fortnight earlier, and the landmark victory over Barcelona showed his side are ready to establish themselves at Europe’s top tablePeople laughed at the idea that Manchester City played well in their first game against Barcelona two weeks ago. But they lost 4-0, it was pointed out. They ended up with 10 men. They handed Lionel Messi his latest Champions League hat-trick on a plate. All true, yet City did play well in the Camp Nou, between their various defensive mishaps they showed a willingness to get at Barcelona and make chances. If that was a sign of a new tenacity under Pep Guardiola...
The Argentinian striker may not have scored against Barcelona but Pep Guardiola would have been delighted by his relentless all-round gameSergio Agüero dominated the fallout from Manchester City’s defeat in Barcelona without setting foot on the pitch for 79 minutes and he eclipsed Lionel Messi in the return at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night without getting on the scoresheet. The reaction of City’s gifted Argentinian was everything Pep Guardiola desired and demanded on their landmark victory in the Champions League.The final touch eluded Agüero against Luis Enrique’s spell-binding yet defensively fragile team but, strangely for an outstanding goalscorer, that kept the focus on where the striker needed it most. His work rate, movement and creativity have all been brought...
Argentinian scores to give Barcelona the lead but apart from that Pep Guardiola’s side keep him under control and give their forwards the chance to shinePep Guardiola said it himself. Barcelona did not have to win this match. Manchester City did, or at least try to take something from it. But Barcelona had Lionel Messi, the one player in the world who seems capable of winning any Champions League match.No one needs to explain anything about Messi to anyone at City after all the previous meetings and the events at the Camp Nou, and though his appearance has changed considerably since the first glimpse in this country 10 years ago prompted Richard Williams of this parish to describe him as...
Facing his first wobble in England, the City manager arrives back in Barcelona denying he has been caught out by the intensity of the Premier LeagueAfter three games without a win Manchester City find themselves in the awkward position of trying to end a disappointing sequence in Barcelona. Ever since the draw was made Pep Guardiola’s homecoming has been the standout attraction of the Champions League group stage but City supporters must be wondering which of his sides is going to turn up. The one that opened the season with 10 straight wins or the one more recently held by Celtic and Everton, with a comprehensive beating at Tottenham in between.The great thing about Barcelona, as Guardiola not only knows...
The manager has Barcelona in the blood but, as he prepares to meet them in the Champions League, the club’s rich history informs his plans for City“It’s not what we wanted,” Txiki Begiristain admitted. Manchester City’s director of football was in Zurich for the Champions League draw, where he could not get a reception on his phone. There was no way of telling his manager the news: “Pep, we’re going back.” But by the time he realised, Guardiola was surely already aware and he probably always suspected as much anyway. On the morning of the draw back in Catalonia some of those closest to him had already predicted this; it was, they had said, inevitable.This is nothing new, for Begiristain...