Pep Guardiola clasped her hands over her head, fell on her knees and frantically plucked out a few blades of grass. It was the seconds in which the renewed Lyon lead fell. 2: 1, something like the preliminary decision. Guardiola had experimented tactically at the beginning of the quarter-finals against Olympique Lyon and, to the surprise of most, changed his system. Only three defenders, four players in midfield, three in attack. Just why? In a way, it turned out to be like squaring the circle, but the attempt failed thoroughly.
City played dominantly as usual, with a lot of possession. The English runner-up did not pose any danger. On the contrary, the star ensemble seemed insecure. After a good hour, it also dawned on Manchester’s coach that something was wrong on the pitch. He switched.
City scored the 1-1 a little later, Kevin De Bruyne scored in the 69th minute, but then that: Lyon could strike back again. The Pep plan to continue to put pressure on with the usual basic order (4-3-3) and to shoot the 2-1 was over. That’s why the blades of grass had to believe in it. And later his team too.
Guardiola admits: “The plan was not good”
Lyon won 3-1, are now in the semi-finals and meet Guardiola’s former club, FC Bayern. It was expected that he could celebrate a reunion with his old acquaintances, his team had gone into the duel against the French as big favorites. “We played well, we had more shots, more of everything. But it wasn’t good enough, “said Guardiola and pushed after:” We lost. So the plan wasn’t good. ”His offensive player also thought. “The coach had a plan, but we didn’t find that many options“Said De Bruyne.
The renowned football magazine “France Football” went even further: “Simply unbelievable! The number one loser in this match is undoubtedly Pep Guardiola. He’s losing a lot of credit because he changed his system, because he was so cautious, because it took too long to react, because he failed again in his quest for a Champions League crown. Guardiola, who was beaten in the Liverpool championship and humiliated by Olympique Lyon in the quarter-finals, appears to be at a turning point in his coaching career. “
His contract in England runs until 2021, he himself brought the rules of the industry into play. “Juventus’ coach Sarri last won the league in Italy and was out of the Champions League and then fired. A lot of coaches have the big problem that they are out if they don’t win this competition, “he said.” It happened to me at Bayern as well, I didn’t win the Champions League there either. I failed there. “
City shuttled from side to side for 60 minutes. Someone like Kevin De Bruyne struggled to fit into Guardiola’s tactical corset
What: REUTERS
For himself it is slowly becoming an infinitely painful story. Even in the ninth year after his triumph in the Champions League with FC Barcelona in 2011, he was unable to conduct any of his clubs through to the final. That’s why his younger vita reads more like that of an average coach and not like that of a starter coach: out in the semifinals in 2012 with Barcelona against Chelsea, out in the semifinals in 2014 with Bayern Munich against Real Madrid after his sabbatical year, out in the semifinals in 2015 with Bayern Munich against FC Barcelona, Aus in the semifinals 2016 with Bayern Munich against Atlético Madrid, Aus in the round of 16 2017 with Manchester City against Monaco, Aus in the quarterfinals 2018 with Manchester City against Liverpool, Aus in the quarterfinals 2019 with Manchester City against Tottenham and now just Aus in the quarterfinals against Lyon.
Novum in der Champions League
This is why critics are gathering in England, with the Guardian commentator most clearly speaking: “How often, Pep, how often? The idea that Pep Guardiola overcomplicated knockout games has become such a truism that it seems impossible for a coach like him to still follow this pattern with such clarity of thought; still finds ways to insert his own fears, his manic intellectualism into the fine details of elite knockout football. And yet we are back. Hello tactical confusion my old friend. On an exciting, hectic night in Lisbon, Pep Guardiola selected a team from Manchester City to play an all-non-Manchester City game. Why was joy and freedom soaked up when it was most needed? “
Guardiola’s tactics and his team unintentionally contributed to the fact that there is now a novelty. For the first time in the history of the Champions League, no teams from Spain, England or Italy are in the semi-finals. Instead, Bayern opponents Lyon and RB Leipzig’s rival Paris St. Germain are two French teams in the semifinals for the first time.
Most recently, teams from Spain, England and Italy were completely missing from the top four on the continent when the competition was still called the European Cup. In the 1990/91 season, the eventual winners Red Star Belgrade, Olympique Marseille, Spartak Moscow and Bayern Munich made it to the semifinals.
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Guardiola complains – “Have to be more consistent in the penalty area”
After the 1: 3 against Olympique Lyon, Manchester City were eliminated from the Champions League. Coach Pep Guardiola quickly found the reasons for the renewed quarter-finals.
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