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Realpolitik In this pun, between football and diplomacy, the overwhelming head of L'Equipe was condensed on April 24, 2014. An image of Karim Benzema illustrated the wink of the French newspaper 1-0 of Real Madrid by Carlo Ancelotti against Bayern Pep Guardiola . The practicality and cunning of the whites had been imposed on the lyricism of the Germans. So the Spanish coach, eaten away by defeat, left some memorable phrases. "In the first part they did not have the ball, they did not give three passes in a row," said Guardiola, who among all the virtues of his adversary only highlighted one: "They are athletes and if you let them run, you run a risk," he revealed. Just six days later, Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo rounded up an exceptional 0-4 in Munich. A month later, in Lisbon, Madrid began its most tyrannical cycle in the Champions League, while Guardiola linked six years without a single final.

Yesterday, the memory of that 1-0 seemed to have evaporated in the mind of the Manchester City coach. «I don't remember much, although it was a pretty close match. We made the goal with a play on the left and the shot of Benzema, ”Pep recalled during his highly anticipated speech at the Bernabéu. That distant resentment has now become an almost religious fervor for Madrid.

«Tomorrow's game is a real test. The kings of the Champions League against a team that is not accustomed to facing this type of commitments, ”he said, without forgetting that his City has only played a semifinal of this tournament in its history. It was in 2016, with Manuel Pellegrini at the controls. And then he was also set apart in Chamartín.

From 4-3-3 to 3-5-2

In fact, the City still cannot boast a single victory in its five previous duels against the whites. A balance almost opposite to Guardiola, which accumulates nine wins and four draws in 17 precedents. «It is always a pleasure and an honor to return to this field. It is one of the largest in the world and I want to enjoy it, ”he proclaimed yesterday. And that days ago he had already given up the traditional last session on the same lawn that seemed so exciting to him. This apparent contradiction is only one more chapter in Guardiola's most recent history in England, where his team, 22 points behind the lead, sails aimlessly.

In fact, this Champions seems the last handle for the City. An opportunity with which to save a course full of ups and downs, where Guardiola has wanted to adapt to the circumstances, although almost never finding the key. The evolution of its 4-3-3 classic towards the most recent 4-4-2 or even 3-5-2, with three centrals, has not given its football the necessary flight.

The deepest sector of his football continues to focus on the right, especially when Kevin de Bruyne manages to connect with Bernardo Silva . No one has settled better than the prodigious Belgian, whom Casemiro must watch with zeal, both in the actions where he slows the pace and in those he attacks in the diagonals to the bottom line. De Bruyne is the best assistant of the Premier (16, only four less than the historical record of Thierry Henry ) and who has scored more chances (96).

Emptying the infirmary

At this point he seems consolidated as the best attacking midfielder in the Champions League. «He has a special vision. See passes and plays that normal players cannot see, ”Guardiola tends to say, also delighted with the good news of his doctors regarding Raheem Sterling . "He will be ready to play," he revealed yesterday about the English winger.

However, the great news in the infirmary of the City in recent weeks has been the recovery of Aymeric Laporte , the left-handed center capable of making sense of the ball's exit. The former Athletic, complement of the always loyal Fernandinho , provides the balance to a defense where Benjamin Mendy seems like the weakest flank. The instability behind, with many occasions granted, prevented this team from competing in the decisive instances of the Champions League. Now, under the weight of that UEFA sanction for the next two seasons, there is no room for more mistakes.

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  • Pep Guardiola
  • Real Madrid
  • Karim Benzema
  • Sergio Ramos
  • Cristiano Ronaldo
  • Carlo Ancelotti
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  • football
  • Champions League

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