Manchester City’s trip to Wembley, to play the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea tomorrow, is going to have an unexpected emotional overload. The way they fell in the Champions League, with certain traits of impotence and after a fruitless draw after dominating the entire match against Real Madrid, eroded what until now was the implacable image of the European and English champion. He was unable to score a second goal that would have qualified him, and faltered, unexpectedly, later in the fate of penalties. The giant, at the moment of truth, trembled.
The City of Guardiola His unwavering confidence was shaken. She hesitated, and opened a crack of insecurity not seen before, with unsuspected nerves, which the team of Carlo Ancelotti. They were embodied very well by one of the best players of the powerful ‘skyblues’, Bernard Silva. As an image of City’s mental strength, the Portuguese this time made a mistake in his decision-making in his penalty shot, by throwing it to the center ‘at Doll‘, thus increasing the risks of failure. The doorman guessed his intention. Silvaa player who almost always chooses very well what to do at any given moment, expressed the concern of a City that, especially at the Etihad in Manchester, had shown itself to be infallible during 41 games.
With the emotional effects of that painful defeat in front of their fans, the players of Guardiola They have to overcome it and face tomorrow’s game at Wembley, against an unpredictable Chelsea, who have seen a way to delve into their doubts in order to win the game. It is the path that Madrid taught all of City’s rivals. A way to combat them using a closed defense without leaving any space, to make them desperate. Haaland, De Bruyne, Foot y Silva, the four stilettos on its front. For Pochettino and Chelsea will, without a doubt, be one of the ways to use for their hopes of victory in London.
Goalless dominance
“We have faced many closed teams and we always found a way to find a space, today we missed it,” he reflected. Guardiola after the match against Madrid, adding an expressive “No regrets”, intentionally directed at the English press. But it is a warning signal for the ‘skyblues’, the same one that was activated for Arsenal in Munich, with their unsuccessful dominance. His control of the match did not translate into goals at the Allianz Arena either, with Bayern imposing their experience in the competition and waiting to surprise him on the counterattack. In the end it turned out well and led to the elimination of the Gunners on their return to the Champions League quarter-finals after 14 years.
The way they both recover emotionally will decide the end of the season. City are favorites for the two titles they have left, and to chain four consecutive titles in the English league, although there are only two points that separate them from Arsenal and Liverpool. There is a lot of tension and equality, which, together with the fatigue of the most important players, portends a final month of twists and turns in the standings. To begin with, the Gunners must also show resilience in their trip to Wolverhampton on Saturday, in a field, Molineux, where City already lost this season. ”The locker room is now destroyed and the pain is not going to go away. But what we still have to play is beautiful,” he encourages. Arteta to his players, on whom he tries to relieve pressure to try to win a title for which the north London club has been fighting since 2004.
How they will resolve the physical fatigue and tension after the European matches will have its weight and will be one of the keys to the outcome of the rest of the season. To begin with, the biggest source of concern for City is the form of Erling Haaland, their feared scorer, fallen into an unusual negative streak. Guardiola has justified his change against Madrid by arguing that it was the striker who asked for it, before the penalty shoot-out, even knowing that his team would need him. But at the crucial moment of the year, the Norwegian was not there and his pitch was missed. Haaland He has scored 30 goals in 37 games, but he is far from the spectacular figures of the previous season. The team finds him less, and that puts a shadow on City’s attacking performance. Luck is not on his side either. Just look at his shot against the crossbar of the goal The moonwhich would have served to eliminate Real Madrid.
The fog of 115 charges
And in the midst of all the dispute, there is internal tension. Although he does not reach the locker room, the award-winning Manchester club is awaiting the decision of the Premier’s independent commission to resolve the 115 charges it faces for violating financial rules in nine different seasons. In view of what happened with Everton and Nottingham Forest, if they were found guilty of at least some of them, the deduction of points would be an inevitable consequence. City officials argue that this is impossible, vehemently deny the charges and are working to prove their innocence. But the fog of that possible sanction spreads on the horizon facing the club.
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At Wembley you will see the almighty City pressed and tired. Only victory is enough to erase the stain of the injured champion, who dreamed of extending his dominance in the Champions League. The troubled Chelsea will strain their nerves and put them to the test in the FA Cup. And it has already been seen that the London Blues, playing all or nothing, are capable of anything.
2024-04-19 05:00:00
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