If you want to know what happens on the pitch during football, you can look beyond the edge of the field.

Only one should not choose Carlo Ancelotti as illustrative material.

The Real Madrid coach often stands stoically on the sidelines.

The only parts of Ancelotti's body that move noticeably are his jaw, which works the gum, and the occasional left eyebrow.

It's a bit off the hook anyway.

But when the mood of the 62-year-old Italian is completely in the basement, he raises his eyebrows a little higher.

Tobias Rabe

Responsible editor for Sport Online.

  • Follow I follow

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola, who is eleven years his junior from Manchester City, is much more active in a game.

This could be seen particularly well on Wednesday evening in the drama in Madrid, when the English led 5: 3 in the semi-finals of the Champions League up to the 90th minute, but then conceded two more goals within 90 seconds in extra time had to - and were eliminated there by a penalty goal.

Real Madrid and Liverpool FC will play in the final of the premier class for the title on May 28 in Paris.

And not Manchester City.

Guardiola showed all kinds of gestures that illustrated his feelings at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, which he knows well from his time at FC Barcelona from many duels between arch-rivals.

He laughed as he greeted Ancelotti.

He paused as he thought.

He scowled when his team didn't keep possession of the ball as usual.

He conducted when he gave a tactical instruction.

He applauded when his players needed encouragement.

He raised his thumb when something went particularly well.

He celebrated when Riyad Mahrez scored to make it 1-0 (73rd minute).

He knelt when he could hardly stand it any longer because of the tension.

Guardiola's dream turns into a nightmare

And he grabbed his shaved head in disbelief when suddenly everything went in the wrong direction for Manchester City.

Real Madrid's joker Rodrygo (90' and 90'+1) ensured extra time with his two goals in the last minute of regulation time, where Karim Benzema added his goal from the penalty spot (95').

Guardiola had long since rolled up the sleeves of the black top.

This resulted in an iconic image while the game was still going on: the trainer's arms dangled downwards without body tension, his head was weakly lowered, his blank gaze fell to the ground.

It was emblematic of the Champions League title hunt.

It is Guardiola's dream to win the silver trophy with the big handles again.

He did it in 2009 and 2011, back then with FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi.

Guardiola's critics claim the victories were due more to the exceptional Argentine player than to the exceptional Catalan coach.

Because neither in three attempts with FC Bayern nor for six years with Manchester City has it worked to win the premier class.

The dream of the cup turns into a nightmare for Guardiola.

There are several reasons why it didn't work.

In his first season in Munich, Bayern lost the semi-final second leg against Real Madrid 0-4.

Guardiola was extremely annoyed about the "hardest defeat of my coaching career" at the time, because he had allowed himself to be influenced by his players, who preferred more offensive tactics and ran into the open knife.

His opponent back then: Ancelotti.

In 2015 Guardiola's old team from Barcelona was too strong in the semi-finals, the following year Atlético Madrid, who coldly exploited a mistake made by Munich.

After that, Guardiola left Bayern and took a year off.

Manchester City, long a middle-class club in England, then pushed with money from Abu Dhabi and risen to become a giant of European football, brought in Guardiola in order to realize his dream of winning the Champions League together.

Investments in the billions and many attempts later have not yet worked out.

That was not only, but also due to Guardiola.

Because he is a special coach who sometimes comes up with special lineups and tactics for special games.

Perhaps one reason for this is the end of 2014, when he listened too much to the players.

Now Guardiola cannot be talked into it, but he is not more successful either.

In the 2021 final against Chelsea, Guardiola surprisingly did without a defensive midfielder and opened up the crucial space for the opponent.

In addition, João Cancelo did not play, although he was in good form.

Representative Alexander Zinchenko failed in the only goal conceded.

The year before, Manchester lost to underdogs Olympique Lyon when Guardiola suddenly started with a three-man defense.

In 2019, Kevin De Bruyne was absent voluntarily against Tottenham.

City was eliminated again.

In Madrid, the suffering Guardiola could not be blamed.

"It's cruel.

We were so close but couldn't finish it," he said.

That was due to Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who played well.

That was also due to Manchester, who didn't use their chances, for example through Jack Grealish.

And that was due to Real Madrid, who once again turned a game they thought was lost.

"Real bullied us," said Guardiola.

"Real players have experienced something like this before, we haven't.

We were brilliant throughout the semi-finals but in the end it's about who scores more goals.” True.

"Now we need time to let it sink in," Guardiola said after midnight in Madrid.

"A day or two - but we'll get up again.

We have to.” Because there is still one goal and the relentless game plan doesn't leave any breaks: Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United and Aston Villa are the stations on the way to the championship.

Manchester City are one point ahead of Liverpool.

Will that be enough in the end, at least in the Premier League?

“Football is unpredictable.

We have to accept it, move on, come back," Guardiola said, continuing to suffer in silence.