MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Whatever happens from here, deranged cries, regardless of whether Manchester City’s Champions League campaign ends in medals and parades and the realization of the club’s well-planned ultimate dream The mayhem at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night felt like something had changed within.
It’s not enough that Manchester City beat Real Madrid to reach their second Champions League final in three years. It’s not just that Pep Guardiola’s side crushed the reigning champions by beating 4-0 a club that considers the competition their private party.
Considering the circumstances, the stakes, the identity, reputation and talent of their opponents, City did it with arguably one of the best and most dominant performances of the tournament. This was Manchester City sending a message, issuing a statement and proving the correctness of their claims. And in the process, Manchester City were also able to defeat his specter.
Guardiola’s struggles in this tournament are well known. By all accounts, he is the best manager of his generation, yet he has spent most of his last decade or so finding new and imaginative ways to avoid winning the Champions League. rice field. He has managed to beat Monaco, Lyon, Liverpool and Tottenham. He messed with his team, which resulted in them losing to Chelsea in the final. He was quickly defeated by Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
The metaphor is that Guardiola is too impatient and complicating things too much. One theory, which he himself hints at here, is that his background as a Barcelona fan has given him what in some ways seems to be a somewhat unhealthy obsession with the competition.
Of course, he always dismissed it as nonsense, dismissed the idea that there might be a pattern, and thought that the cause of his repeated disappointments was no more complicated than the ups and downs of the game. But that did little to alleviate the feeling that the Champions League had become his, and therefore Manchester City’s, Achilles heel, the only world the club’s bottomless state-backed wealth and knife-edge precision could not conquer.
Perhaps, given the nature of the city’s projects, it was always possible that it would eventually evaporate. After all, this club has an inescapable nature of mechanization. For all its stylistic richness, brilliance of talent, it’s hard not to recognize that it’s built with cold, calculated precision.
It’s a club that feels more like it’s been built to the exact specifications of the world’s best coaches and has the best of everything money can buy, rather than a grown-up club. At some point, it was always supposed to come across. At some point, establishing yourself as a Champions League powerhouse becomes more of an economic equation than a sporting challenge.
But that should not allow City to cover up the style in which they beat Real Madrid. A few days before the match, Guardiola had detected three elements in his players that he thought would be necessary to secure a place in the final against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.
He said he felt “calm” and no more panic, anxiety or tension. It also had the ‘tension’, the edge and the attention needed to perform. And, crucially, it was the ‘pain’ of last year’s events that saw City fall victim to that peculiar magic wielded by Real Madrid and only Real Madrid. Guardiola said the team had been forced to “drink the poison” of the game for a year. This was a chance to cleanse it.
Especially in the first half, it seems likely that this will be remembered as the culmination of Guardiola’s project in Manchester, the culmination of the team he has spent the last six years building, polishing, polishing and perfecting. rice field.
By half-time City were leading 2-0 thanks to two goals from Bernardo Silva, but it was no wonder they were a little disappointed. Erling Haaland missed two glorious chances. Kevin De Bruyne hit a shot from the front of the goal.
Real Madrid spent 45 minutes stuck not only in their own half but also in their own penalty area, clearly powerless to break City’s spell and escape its constriction. Many of the players, many of them veterans who had won the tournament many times, were suddenly deprived of their composure and ability, and seemed flustered and frenzied.
Luka Modric couldn’t judge the weight of his pass. Toni Kroos kept giving the ball. Stalled on the left flank, Vinicius Junior sadly urged his team-mates to step forward. Overwhelmed in midfield, Federico Valverde continued to be perplexed to find that there was always another light blue jersey behind him.
Of course, Real Madrid’s reputation is so great that even an injury would be seen by most teams as a threat. But City never thought of shrinking to themselves. Guardiola clearly sniffed something to change the narrative and shift focus, not just a chance to win the match.
Riyad Mahrez played. Phil Foden has joined. Guardiola moved his body, gestured, and hovered over the touchline to encourage his players to move forward. Manuel Akanji scored the third goal. Julián Alvarez added the fourth goal in the closing moments of the game. Victory turned into victory, and then into rout.
It’s not just that City got revenge on Real Madrid last year. City have exorcised all the demons they’ve built up over the years, the disappointments they’ve endured, all that caused Guardiola’s car to stall at just the wrong moment.
When the final whistle blew, the Etihad Stadium was filled with a violent cacophony as Real Madrid players crouched in relief from their disappointment and humiliation over their loss. The club played for Gala International. Fans roared, cheered and rejoiced. A giant screen in the corner of the stadium projected the word “Istanbul” in neon pink. Guardiola was jumping and dancing with his players with an almost frenetic energy.
Greatness is now in the hands of Manchester City. They should win their third consecutive Premier League title this weekend. They have already qualified for the FA Cup final against Manchester United. Guardiola protested, but he will be the overwhelming favorite to win the Champions League final. There are 270 minutes left until the triple crown is achieved.
But whatever happened, whatever happened next, this victory was more than just a milestone. The night Manchester City defeated its specter was a destination in itself.
