Pep wants to dodge a Euro boot in the smalls
Fine margins can favour City
WHEN it comes to the big games in the Champions League, the “small matters” prove decisive for Pep Guardiola.
He’s been on the receiving end of such fine margins, not always to his advantage, despite having won the Champions League twice as a boss with Barcelona.
Three times Guardiola’s gone out on away goals, including last season. A Raheem Sterling VAR-disallowed goal saw Manchester City edged out by Tottenham at the quarter-final stage.
In the same game, Fernando Llorente’s decisive goal for Spurs was mired in controversy, VAR eventually allowing it to stand amid claims of handball.
So the City manager knows best-laid plans can ultimately count for nothing.
And ahead of tomorrow’s crunch last-16 second leg tie against Real Madrid, it seems his opponents share the view the tie is just too close to call.
Real defender Raphael Varane said: “These are the best games in the Champions League. The ones that are decided by very little.
“The first leg was a top-quality game, with pressing from both teams. It was decided by the small details. We have to carry this experience with us.”
At the Bernabeu in February, when City came from behind to win 2-1, Guardiola produced one of his eyebrowraising selections. Gabriel Jesus played on the left, Bernardo Silva through the middle, with midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in a more advanced role.
Sergio Aguero was consigned to the bench, as was Sterling, who came off the bench to win a late penalty, converted by De Bruyne to seal the win.
And with Aguero ruled out through injury, Guardiola is likely to go with a similar line-up.
While Guardiola’s brave starting line-up was vindicated in Madrid, Zinedine Zidane’s ultimately backfired, in particular the decision to omit midfielder Toni Kroos.
Zidane will not make that mistake again tomorrow, with Kroos set to be restored, alongside Casemiro and Luka Modric in midfield.
The suggestion is he intends to go with an attacking trio of Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema and former Chelsea star Eden Hazard, now fit again.
But City will look to take full advantage of the absence of Real’s imperious skipper Sergio Ramos, suspended after his late red card in the first leg.
Zidane’s side produced a run of 10 wins to clinch La Liga by five points – as City lost two of their last 10 games to finish 18 points behind Liverpool.
But all that is likely to count for nothing tomorrow, as Guardiola hopes small details finally go the way of City.