City eye four trophies after 19th victory on run
It is not just the incredible number of victories that Manchester City are achieving at present, but the compelling manner of them that will soon lead to talk that they can claim an unprecedented quadruple.
Win No19 in all competitions from Europe’s form team came as they overwhelmed Borussia Monchengladbach in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, which should make their passage into the quarter-finals routine.
A League Cup final is secured, they are running away with the Premier League and they are in the last eight of the FA Cup, but it is this competition that maybe matters most of all to Pep Guardiola and the City hierarchy. And Europe will have taken notice of this display.
The holders Bayern Munich, last season’s beaten finalists Paris Stgermain, Liverpool, Chelsea, possibly even another team, might bring it to a halt, but it will take some effort to derail City on this unrelenting form.
Are they favourites? “When I see how Bayern played [winning 4-1 at Lazio], I do not think so,” Guardiola said. “It’s a big challenge to recover the players and make sure they’re in the best possible condition. If people want to say we are favourites, it’s OK – we will accept it.”
People are saying just that. In context, Monchengladbach were not the most threatening of opponents and managed only one effort on target, but it is rare at this stage of the competition for a team to be left so engulfed. The scoreline made a mockery of the dominance, however, as Guardiola stated City have to be more “clinical” in front of goal. “If there is something I would like to improve it is just that,” he added.
Nevertheless, records are falling all the time and this was their 12th away win in a row in all competitions – something no English team have achieved before.
They look unstoppable with an innovative, fluid form of attacking football underpinned by a defence that is almost impregnable. It is more than 10 hours since City have conceded a goal in Europe – in the opening 15 minutes of the opening group game against Porto – with the injury-time save made by Ederson, from substitute Hannes Wolf ’s shot after Rodri’s misplaced pass, his first in almost three hours.
And to think Guardiola kept Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones on the bench and took Raheem Sterling off early. When asked for the biggest factor behind the winning run, the manager was a little flippant. “We have a lot of money to buy a lot of incredible players,” he replied and, while that is true, there is obviously far more to it.
Guardiola made five changes. One of those who retained his place was Joao Cancelo and his evolution into a full-back – either on the right or, as here, on the left – who steps into midfield to become the playmaker is yet another confirmation of Guardiola’s coaching genius. The Portuguese played a significant role in both goals.
The pattern was set. From the kick-off City claimed 60 per cent of possession and it felt like more. Monchengladbach were up against it, the ball coming back quicker and quicker as City pressed them high. In one passage of play Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan and Sterling all harried Matthias Ginter as he struggled to clear.
The opening goal came as Cancelo cut out another panicky pass, stepped inside and delivered a wonderfully precise right-foot cross that was met by Bernardo Silva, who guided his header beyond goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the contest was held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, with Monchengladbach hoping to shake themselves from a mini-slump that may have coincided with the announcement that their coach Marco Rose is leaving at the end of the season to take charge of Borussia Dortmund.
Instead, they were overrun. It was footballing asphyxiation. The halftime whistle felt like a mercy call.
Guardiola had no intention of letting City’s opponents reset and his side continued to chase them down to such an extent that when Monchengladbach took a goal-kick, City had four players across the edge of the area. The approach forced another error, Ramy Bensebaini passing the ball to Jesus, who strode into the box but delayed and delayed until Nico Elvedi blocked his eventual shot. “In this competition there is not much margin… you have to at least make the keeper make a save,” Guardiola said.
They almost paid the price when Alassane Plea improvised with an audacious back-heeled flick that had Ederson scrambling as it only just cleared his far post. And so that warning was heeded.
Sterling turned the ball back to Cancelo who crossed, Bernardo pulled away and cushioned his header across goal and Jesus beat Ginter to poke it home.
Again there could have been more goals and Guardiola did show his irritation on the touchline that would have been compounded had Wolf scored.
“In this competition you have to be perfect to make sure you go through,” Guardiola said. City were close to that.