Those who worked together with Pep Guardiola describe him as a lion in the dressing room of Manchester City. Roaring, sniffing around.
The circular housing certainly gives an orator room to stalk and the players of Guardiola cannot repair their gaze anywhere, but on their demanding manager.
He thrives on sods. The big ones, even when we are only in February and a Champions League play-off round that did not exist last season. Short, sharp messages aimed at a theme before the city goes on the largest phases.
The City team has heard them over the past nine seasons. How the pain of what annual European capitulations were could help to inspire. Referees don't want you to succeed. Use the apathy of your own supporters for competition as fuel.
But this meeting with Old Foe Real Madrid is not someone where the players of Guardiola have to suck up messages about external forces or factors. They do this for themselves and there is a simplicity for these two legs for eight days: triumph and it can ignite the entire campaign.
Ruben Dias, the new vice-captain after Kyle Walker left, spoke Bullish about City with the 'weapons' to hurt Madrid and Guardiola seems clear in his mind about how the 2023 champions will tackle a team that he will always be the' kings of Europe 'Labelt'.
“You come in a time when the train goes in the season and you have to catch that train,” said Dias.
Inner, however, there will be doubts in the heads of those players while Guardiola runs through the room and delivers his last words. The evening is about Will as it is Nous and Madrid's snub from the Ballon d'Or Awards in October, as soon as Vinicius JR realized that he was lost to Rodri, adds extra herbs.
The comeback at Leyton Orient in the FA Cup on Saturday, only as soon as Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne were called from the bank, was only the eighth victory in 23 games for City. They were regularly stabbed against the top against opposition and the scars of the 5-1 walking on Arsenal will remain visible nine days ago because Guardiola is planning not to stop Madrid's quartet from Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe.
“It is impossible in 90 minutes to drive these four players,” said Guardiola. “Everyone knows. We must reduce their involvement as much as possible, knowing that it will (not always) happen and accept that. Both teams had problems with injuries during the season.
'Madrid used it much better than we, top of Laliga. They have shown the consistency and they bring their best at the difficult moments. We have to make two large games to continue. '
Finally, the injuries are cleaning up. Guardiola can actually choose a first cord behind four – provided that he believes that John Stones, Dias and Nathan Ake are able to play a full match – and Nico Gonzalez, the £ 50 million January signing from Porto, is available .
“A death order,” is how Dias described the fitness crisis of the city. It is a Madrid that also encounters when Carlo Ancelotti reaches square pins for defense.
The greater care for the city is how you can keep Mbappe and CO from a distance when they cannot close the back door. Perhaps their biggest weapon actually goes apart in the other direction, if possible.
Erling Haaland still has to score against Madrid in four attempts; That will change at some point. Does Omar Marmoush announce at Etihad?
Regardless, this is the one who can postpone the season. To give City more to fill their time than the FA Cup and to qualify again for this competition via the Premier League – which, given fifth place, will probably be sufficient, should be a formality. To take their record with Madrid over the Guardiola era to 3-2, to erase the pain of the shootout defeat of last April in the quarterfinals.
The boss of City is aimed at his team that the 'pace' of the first leg reads, before he goes to the Bernabeu next Wednesday, and urges them to not shrink and to impose it instead.
“We play the second game because we were not good in the group,” said Guardiola. 'You have to earn what happens in football. But our team has something special and hopefully we can prove it.
'We can't forget that we were not often in these phases ten years ago. For us it is an honor and hopefully our people can support us. They look forward to it, really with their history. It is always a pleasure. '
Expanding that pleasure outside this tempting play-off between two injured colosses depends on the city and how much they really want to change this year.
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