With a very calm tone, perhaps seeking the calm before the storm, Pep Guardiola has returned this Monday to the Santiago Bernabéu, one of the most special stadiums of his career for all that it means. After losing last year in the semifinals after an incredible comeback by Real Madrid, Manchester City seeks to erase that affront this season.
"We are not here with a spirit of revenge, far from it, we take it as an opportunity to return to the Champions League semifinals and try to do it as well as possible", stressed the man from Santpedor in the preview of the first leg, which is being played this Tuesday at the white coliseum. "The objective is to be stable, get close to the title many times and in the end we will end up winning it, like Real Madrid these years or before Barça and Liverpool", he explained.
City completed two great games in last year's tie but Real Madrid was more accurate against goal and agreed to the final. "I wish we could play the same games as last year, hopefully, but I don't think it could be," Guardiola highlighted. "If you only prepare the season thinking about the Champions League, when you lose it you are left with nothing because Madrid almost always wins it," the license allowed. "Last year it seemed like the end of the world and here we are again," he said.
Guardiola revealed that only a few hours ago he watched the two games last year again. "In Manchester we played exceptionally and in the second leg we also played very well, but it wasn't enough and we're going to try again."
One of the big differences with respect to the last confrontation between the two teams is, without a doubt, the presence of Erling Haaland in the citizen ranks. "The style is set by the players and since we are not going to take advantage of Haaland, of course we will play for him," he presumed.
Still referring to the Norwegian, Guardiola recounted one of the tactical variants he has with his new attacking pearl: "Against teams that can put very high pressure on you, such as Real Madrid, using the long ball with Haaland is an advantage that we take advantage".
The Catalan coach also valued Real Madrid, in which he sees some novelties in his game. "I have the feeling that he passes the ball more than ever and he has those transitions in which he looks for Vinícius, who is always capable of reaching the baseline," he remarked.
