Coach Pep Guardiola recently revealed his desire for Man City’s performance against Real Madrid in the upcoming Champions League semi-final first leg.
In the middle of this week, Man City will enter the series that can be said to be the most important match of the season. It was the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on the field of Real Madrid – the team that eliminated them also in the semi-finals last year and won the final.
The baggage of Pep Guardiola’s army before this match was a series of 10 consecutive victories in the English Premier League. In the last match against Leeds, Green Man held the ball up to 81% and launched 18 shots. And of course, Pep wants his students to recreate their performance in the upcoming match against Real.
Man City owns a series of 10 consecutive victories in the Premier League before the match against Real Madrid (photo: Getty)
“I really hope Man City will play against Real on Tuesday the way we played today. We played really, really well.
The opponent plays up to six defensive players in front of the goal. So you have to exploit the space extremely well. Riyad Mahrez was excellent when he found the space of his teammates and attacked at the right time,” said Pep after the victory over Leeds.
However, Leeds is only a team that is racing for relegation, so Pep’s team easily overwhelmed is obvious. Things will be very different when facing European champions Real Madrid, especially away from home.
However, Pep seems to have been carefully prepared when he rotated to 7 above in the last match against Leeds. However, when asked about this issue, the former Barca coach denied.
Pep denies letting Man City rotate to focus on Real Madrid (photo: CaughtOffside)
“Honestly, I didn’t rotate the Leeds game just because I thought about the Real Madrid game after. I rotated because some players said they were tired. The assistants told me that too. That’s why I’m new. do. Champions League is another battle but Man City are not giving up or prioritizing anything. We are serious about the Premier League.”