The English champions have hit form at the right time and everything is now falling into place for them to lift the European Cup at long last....CONTINUE READING
It’s not the first time it’s been said, but it feels like the stars are aligning for Manchester City in the Champions League.
1. Haaland’s Urge for Champions League goals.
Any team facing City will be having nightmares about what Haaland might do to them.
In his last two Champions League matches alone he has six goals. He plundered a joint-record five against RB Leipzig, and would likely have got six or seven had Guardiola not taken him off with half an hour left.
But they have missed a lot of clear chances in clutch moments. With Haaland having scored 16 goals with his last 21 shots, that is unlikely to be a problem this time around.
2. Guardiola is in his element.
How many other managers could take their two first-choice full-backs out of the team in the middle of the season and reinvent their defence so that they barely notice their absence?
This is what Guardiola has done with Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker.
3. Ruben Dias is back to his best.
Haaland may have stolen the headlines again in City’s win over Bayern, but the victory really belonged to the defence.
They limited Thomas Tuchel’s side to only one shot in the first half, and although the visitors did test Ederson after the break, it was mostly long-range efforts which the Brazilian comfortably saved.
Dias was a titanic defensive wall, blocking everything Bayern could throw at his side, while Manuel Akanji and Ake were also outstanding.
4. De Bruyne is back in form.
The Belgian appears to have a tempestuous relationship with Guardiola. He has been unquestionably the best player of the Catalan’s reign, and the most talented footballer the coach has worked with since Lionel Messi. Earlier this month, De Bruyne became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League assists.
And yet Guardiola often seems unhappy with him, calling him out on a number of occasions this season.
Whatever is going on, this stormy feeling between coach and player seems to be bringing the best out of the playmaker, who has nine goals and a stonking 22 assists this season.
5. Jack Grealish 2.0.
Grealish only played a bit-part role in the Champions League last season, not starting any of the knockout games.
Indeed, his participation was mostly remembered for his scrap with Atletico Madrid’s Stefan Savic in the tunnel and missing a big chance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
But he has found his feet in his second campaign with City, and there is an argument to make that he has been their second-best player behind Haaland across the whole season.
6. Real Madrid their only real competitors.
City may have thought that they had got one of the toughest draws imaginable when they were paired with Bayern in the quarter-finals, but they proved no match for the Bavarians, who had sacked Julian Nagelsmann less than three weeks before the first leg.
If they can see off Bayern in the second leg, then Real Madrid look like being the only team standing between them and their long awaited first Champions League.
If City can beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the semi-finals, they are set to play a team who is inferior in both quality and experience at the top level, regardless of whether that is Inter, Benfica or AC Milan.
