PEP’S TURN ON THE CAROUSEL
Barca return for City boss but Ranieri is given an easier ride
ONCE, in what must seem like a different life, Pep Guardiola admitted: ‘If it wasn’t for Lionel Messi, I’d be a second division coach.’ It was an exaggeration, but the Spaniard’s point was clear. As coach of Barcelona in those golden years from 2008-12, Guardiola was fortunate enough to work with special talent.
Now, for only the second time, Guardiola must return to the club with which he will forever be unbreakably connected. It is his turn to try to break the spell of what Sir Alex Ferguson once described as the Barcelona ‘carousel’. For Guardiola’s new club Manchester City, yesterday’s Champions League draw was not terribly kind.
City have been here before and so has their new coach. Barcelona knocked out City in 2014 and 2015 while Guardiola took Bayern Munich to the Nou Camp 16 months ago only to lose 3-0 — Messi scoring twice — on the way to a comprehensive semi-final defeat.
So both know how it feels and both would have wished for something else when the draw was made yesterday. The only consolation is that this is not yet knockout football. Barcelona are only one of three teams City must face in Group C.
Guardiola’s fate will not be decided by what his team does against Barca but in games against Borussia Monchengladbach, who finished 4th in the Bundesliga last season but were closer pointswise to the bottom than to the top, and a Celtic team that has just shipped four goals over two games against a team from Israel.
So City’s chances of qualification are good but it will be the games against Barcelona that will demand the attention and the energy.
As a shoot- out for first place, it should be worth watching.
‘ Usual type of draw for us,’ tweeted City’s captain Vincent Kompany last night. ‘It’s better like this. Bring it on.’
City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain — another ex-Barcelona employee — was a little less bullish when he said: ‘It is not a nightmare draw because we are in a wonderful competition but it is a very tough group. Pep knows the teams in the group very well.’ If the City party in Switzerland winced a little when the draw was made, Leicester got their reward for starting in Pot One as Premier League champions with a grouping that may lack a little in glamour but offers opportunity.
Leicester fans probably dreamed of trips to Bayern Munich and Madrid.
That may yet happen but first Claudio Ranieri and his squad must deal with Group G rivals Porto, Brugge and Copenhagen.
Ranieri will be pleased. Leicester will have no reason to fear any of those teams while there is no longhaul travel to disrupt what will already be a challenging season.
If all that sounds rather pragmatic then so be it. Ranieri could not have had more satisfactory opponents had he chosen them himself.
‘I’m proud to be in this competition,’ said the Leicester manager. ‘I am pleased a lot of fans will come with us around Europe.
‘I have to slow down everybody and relax them.
‘I had good experiences in Champions League before and can give players my knowledge. It’s important they play free and fight.’
Ranieri has contested a Champions League semi-final before with Chelsea — losing to Monaco in 2004 — and he will begin Leicester’s challenge knowing that the games at the King Power Stadium will be crucial.
Meanwhile, what Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino really makes of his club’s move to Wembley for the Champions League would be interesting to know.
If Leicester’s group lacks glamour then Tottenham’s place in Group E sees them face CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco. Hardly formidable opposition but not teams to encourage Spurs fans to try desperately to fill Wembley’s 90,000 seats either.
Supporters of London rivals Arsenal have been in their shoes. Arsene Wenger’s team won only two of six Champions League games at Wembley in 1998 and 1999 and subsequently spoke of how difficult it was to transport the atmosphere and familiarity of a home tie to the national stadium.
With none of Tottenham’s three opponents likely to bring a large travelling contingent, it will be interesting to see how Pochettino and his players get on.
Arsenal themselves will perhaps see their home and away games against Swiss team Basle as key to their chances. PSG will begin Group A as favourites, leaving Arsenal to fight with Basel and Ludogorets of Bulgaria for qualification.
More broadly, it is a long time since a Champions League draw took pace without Manchester United or Chelsea. Some may see that as refreshing.
For City, though, there was only familiarity yesterday. On their website last night a section was headed: ‘ Barcelona: What you need to know’. It wasn’t really necessary.