Quadruple bid is on for Pep’s City slickers
WITH Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan firing Manchester City to a routine victory, it was perhaps little wonder that teammate Aleks Zinchenko had no qualms about discussing the prospect of an unprecedented Quadruple earlier this week.
Manchester City’s players are surely allowed to dream when they control a two-legged Champions League knockout tie as easily as this, no matter the opposition.
Pep Guardiola has other ideas, of course, and is vehemently opposed to the idea they can lift all four trophies. Yet we are in the middle of March now and, while the possibility remains, it will act as background music to City’s sprint to the finish.
There will be sterner tests ahead. Saturday’s win at Fulham proved tougher than a Monchengladbach side who have fallen away terribly after boss Marco Rose announced his decision to leave for Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
City passed them to death in the first leg, playing at half-pace, and pushed the accelerator when required in the second. This is why the likes of Zinchenko are wondering what is possible.
Raheem Sterling wasn’t even required from the start for a third consecutive game. His display during the defeat by Manchester United was well below par and perhaps Guardiola is giving him a little nudge.
That’s become an easier piece of man-management given the recent form of Riyad Mahrez. All of these marvellous attacking players are of such similar ability that, when one drops out, another steps up.
And it’s not going too badly, is it? Certainly not when a ball rolls across the body of De Bruyne as it did in the 12th minute. Mahrez and Rodri had both battled gallantly to retain control before the former fashioned a pass back.
De Bruyne wound up, planted his right foot and walloped home with his left, the ball kissing the bar for a little added aesthetic pleasure.
If a three-goal aggregate lead wasn’t quite enough to begin thinking about the trip home from Budapest, then a second on the night definitely was six minutes later. Gundogan rolled past Yann Sommer with the dead-eyed precision of a killer.
Yet the goal owed so much to Phil Foden. It was all about the youngster’s turn on halfway, the low centre of gravity to spin clear and then drive on for 30 yards, timing the final ball expertly. City are a better team for Foden’s inclusion and this was his 20th goal involvement this season.
Monchengladbach were restricted to a couple of chances, both falling to Breel Embolo. But, as the clock ticked past the hour, nine City players boasted a pass completion rate of more than 90 per cent. Who you play does not always matter. Those numbers suggest a collective dedication to the task in hand.
‘It was a good performance,’ said Guardiola. ‘We controlled the game from the beginning. This competition is tricky but after the two goals everything was easier.’ l REAL MADRID progressed to the last eight with a 3-1 win over Atalanta courtesy of goals from Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 7; Walker 6, Dias 7 (Laporte 70), Stones 7, Cancelo 7 (Zinchenko 64); De Bruyne 8, Rodri 7 (Fernandinho 63), Gundogan 8 (Sterling 70); Mahrez 7, Silva 7 (Aguero 75), Foden 8. Subs not used: Steffen, Carson, Ake, Jesus, Torres, Mendy, Garcia. Booked: Cancelo. Referee: Sergey Karasev (Russia).