Only an individual error gifted Real the lead, but the rebel wasn't done. So the mischievous manager opted for the highest press possible, pushing up de Bruyne and Silva and confounding the hosts.Ĭity had 16 shots on goal and largely owned the Bernabeu. His City career depends on where they finish in the Champions League. His campaign hinges on knocking out his old La Liga nemesis. By his own admission, he had studied more Real Madrid games than just about any other opponents this season, and with good reason. The first leg was a test of his relevance. This was Guardiola on a mission to prove that he still matters, that his future will not be decided by Uefa's men in suits, but by City's men in Madrid. The loose 4-4-2 formation, which morphed into a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-0-6, smacked of an injury crisis when it looked like an identity crisis. 9s and Gabriel Jesus was pushed to the left side of midfield, as if Guardiola had pulled random names from a hat like a magician at a kids' party. Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne were the false No. Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling were dropped to the bench. His manoeuvring in Madrid was a timely reminder that he's still among the best in the industry.Ĭity's unlikely first XI might as well have wandered out at the Bernabeu carrying a banner covered in Guardiola's handwriting:Įven Juergen Klopp doesn't take risks like this in the first leg of a Champions League tie. Nothing personal.įortunately, Guardiola is a better tactician than he is a liar. The godfather of modern management insisted that Uefa's ban had little bearing on his Madrid takedown. The rules prop up autocracies like the one in Madrid, one that Guardiola was desperately eager to defeat, as a point of principle. Financial Fair Play doesn't allow newcomers into the old members club.

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