Capítulo 191: Guardiola Rarely Gets Angry!
Even though they won, Manchester City was heavily criticized by the media after the match.
It wasn't just tabloids like The Sun that loved sensational news; even major newspapers like The Mirror, The Independent, The Guardian, and The Times criticized Manchester City's performance in this game.
Miguel Delaney, a columnist for The Independent, wrote:
"Pellegrini's team shouldn't sacrifice the league for the Champions League. Their lead in the league standings isn't that big; Arsenal has already achieved five consecutive wins and is only one game behind them."
"I don't think we can blame the players on the field too much; after all, they were just a group of substitutes. But Pellegrini clearly had a problem with his choices. He shouldn't have put both Agüero and Lin on the bench. At least one of them should have started."
"Without Lin and David Silva, Manchester City played like a headless chicken. Yaya Touré seemed to want to take over the game, but his poor performances nearly caused the team to collapse."
"For Yaya Touré, Pellegrini should either play him as an attacking midfielder or strictly limit his range of movement. Not everyone can be a free agent like Lin. Giving too much freedom to players can destroy the entire tactical system. Both of Aston Villa's counter-attack goals were closely related to Yaya Touré."
After criticizing Manchester City, Delaney turned to praise Aston Villa:
"Although Aston Villa's current record isn't great, with two wins and four losses in six rounds, placing them fifth from the bottom in the Premier League, considering they've already faced four top teams and even won one match, their performance is quite remarkable."
"This season, the top Premier League teams have struggled significantly against Aston Villa. If it was just an occasional tough game, it could be attributed to chance. But when every game is so close, it's definitely not a coincidence."
"Perhaps the mid-to-lower-tier teams in the league can learn from Aston Villa, study how they tackle the top teams. This way, they might stand a chance when facing the giants in the league."
Actually, without Delaney's suggestion, many teams had already noticed Aston Villa's impressive performance.
In the past, due to the gap in strength, many mid and small teams would basically lay down and wait for death when facing top-ranked teams. There was no way around it—the gap in strength was too big, and their chances of winning were too small.
Instead of wasting energy and time on the giants, they preferred to fight fiercely against similarly weak mid and lower-tier teams. That way, the chances of getting points were higher!
But now, with Aston Villa leading by example, these mid and lower-tier teams started having different thoughts:
"If Aston Villa can make the giants struggle so much, why can't we?"
"There's nothing unreplicable about Aston Villa, whether in terms of lineup or tactics. Their setup is just as ordinary as any other team."
"The only difference lies in their style of play!"
So, mid and lower-tier teams began to imitate Aston Villa's play style, preparing to use it against the top teams.
This trend spread, causing panic among the giants.
Arsenal's manager Arsène Wenger was the first to speak out:
"The Premier League shouldn't condone fouling, especially malicious fouls targeting players."
"If rough fouls lead to many star players getting injured, it won't only affect the entertainment value of the matches but also impact the Premier League's overall European competition points, which is detrimental to all teams!"
The Premier League's European competition spots are earned by the giants fighting for them in European competitions. But if the giants' players get injured by rough fouls in the league, how can they earn points in the Champions League for the league?
If the league's European competition performance drops, the number of spots will be reduced, and the cake to be shared from European competitions will naturally shrink.
This affects not just the giants but also the mid and lower-tier teams.
Look at Ligue 1 and Serie A!
After their European competition performance dropped, the overall broadcast ratings for the leagues declined significantly. The decrease in broadcast revenue caused many teams to face financial difficulties or even bankruptcy.
Wenger hoped to warn the league officials and smaller clubs with this argument, advising them against doing something that harms others without benefiting themselves.
However, almost all the smaller clubs dismissed Wenger's warning.
"We know Professor Wenger is a famous coach, a big shot, but please focus on your own team. You don't need to dictate to us. We can decide how to play our games without outside interference!"
The reason for their indifference is simple.
Giant clubs are secure at the top, without the worry of relegation.
But for mid and lower-tier teams, they face the danger of relegation.
Once relegated to the Championship, the annual league income difference can reach tens of millions or even over a hundred million pounds!
For smaller clubs, that's an astronomical figure!
Because of this, almost every mid and lower-tier team fights desperately to stay in the Premier League.
That's why, towards the end of the season when relegation pressure mounts, these mid and lower-tier teams become so difficult to play against.
They can't survive without Premier League income. Since it's a matter of life and death, they fight desperately.
Although other giant coaches also made appeals, the effect was minimal.
The FA and Premier League officials made no statements.
They actually wanted Premier League matches to be more intense because that's the league's biggest selling point.
If the Premier League lost its intense physical battles, it would lose a significant feature, and their overseas broadcast revenue might drop sharply.
So, they wouldn't publicly comment, but the giants' concerns were valid.
Malicious fouls had to be stopped and limited. Fouling was fine, but not to the extent of injuring players.
The referees had to balance this discretion.
...
After the game against Aston Villa, Manchester City took the bus back to Manchester.
They had no time to worry about external criticism and debates because they were about to face the most important Champions League group match—hosting Bayern Munich!
Manchester City took this match very seriously.
Pellegrini even ordered closed-door training, prohibiting any outside visits.
Clearly, he didn't want to leak any tactical plans to Bayern's scouts.
On October 1st, Bayern Munich, led by coach Pep Guardiola, arrived in Manchester two days early.
They settled at Manchester United's Carrington training base. Guardiola didn't conduct closed-door training.
His team had regular pre-match training, seemingly without any new tactics targeting Manchester City.
However, despite this, Manchester City remained vigilant, sending multiple scouts to monitor Bayern's every move.
This match was too crucial for them; they couldn't afford to lose!
Manchester City had spent a fortune on new players this season. If they couldn't even make it out of the group stage, not only would their money be wasted, but the entire team would become a laughingstock in the football world.
Although Bayern Munich appeared to be their biggest threat in the group on the surface, CSKA Moscow wasn't weak either. Especially with their home advantage in winter, it would be a tough match.
The straight-line distance from Manchester to Moscow is over 2,500 kilometers. Even without considering the weather, the long journey would significantly affect the team's condition.
Adding weather factors and other external influences, even Bayern Munich wasn't confident of winning an away game against CSKA Moscow.
So, if they wanted to advance, they had to play well in this match. They couldn't give up just because their opponent was Bayern Munich.
If they gave up because Bayern was strong, they would lose any margin for error. Failing in Moscow would almost certainly eliminate them.
Considering Bayern could also slip up in Moscow, Manchester City had to secure four wins to ensure qualification.
They currently had only 3 points. Viktoria Plzeň was relatively weak, and City was confident of beating them at home next time.
Even so, they would only have 6 points, still halfway from the needed 12 points.
Therefore, they had to aim for victories in both home matches, regardless of whether the opponent was Bayern or CSKA Moscow.
If they could beat Bayern, they would not only control their destiny but might even top the group.
Topping the group would help avoid strong teams in the knockout stage, increasing their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.
For Bayern, the situation was similar.
Manchester City was their biggest competitor in the group, and Bayern couldn't afford to lose either.
Compared to City's schedule, Bayern's was even tougher.
They had to play away in Moscow's freezing conditions at the end of November.
Their chances of winning were lower than City's!
However, unlike City's intense preparation, Bayern was full of confidence.
They had already won the Champions League. As defending champions, they had enough confidence to face any team.
Even Barcelona was swept aside by them. Could a mere Manchester City cause them to stumble?
Guardiola didn't want to pressure his players, but he couldn't stand their underestimation of the opponent.
"Stop for a moment!"
He halted the training and signaled for the players to gather.
The players didn't understand but obediently stopped and gathered around Guardiola.
However, Robben and Ribéry stood on the outside, whispering to each other, seemingly uninterested in what Guardiola had to say.
They were clearly unhappy with Guardiola interrupting their training.
If it weren't for his status as a champion coach, they might have ignored him altogether.
Guardiola noticed this but didn't comment.
He hadn't been at Bayern long and hadn't achieved any notable success yet.
These players had been at Bayern for years, winning league titles and even the Champions League.
Strictly speaking, they were the team's veterans, while he was a newcomer.
Young players might respect him as a champion coach, but veteran players were different.
Top players generally have bad tempers. To earn their respect, he had to prove himself on the field.
Guardiola knew this well, which was why he took this match so
seriously.
This was probably his first major test since joining Bayern.
If he could beat Manchester City, it might not immediately win the players' loyalty and trust, but it would prevent a trust crisis.
If he lost to Manchester City, he could face the same struggles as Moyes at Manchester United.
"I know many of you look down on Manchester City, thinking they can't possibly be our match."
Bayern's players didn't speak, but their expressions showed they truly believed that.
"But let me tell you, our win rate at Etihad Stadium tomorrow is less than 30%!"
The players widened their eyes and stared at Guardiola, thinking:
"Has the coach gone mad?"
"Is he serious?"
"Bayern vs. Manchester City, less than a 30% win rate?"
"How could that be?"
"We're the Champions League winners. They've never even made it out of the group stage. And two months ago in the Audi Cup, City fell to us."
"Could such a team defeat mighty Bayern?"
Bayern's players refused to believe it, even though it was Guardiola who said it.
"Hehe, I know you don't believe me, so let me ask you a few questions."
Guardiola expected their reaction. Bayern's players were very proud.
They couldn't admit they couldn't beat Manchester City.
This was the pride of champions!
"Kroos, do you think Manchester City is stronger than last season's Werder Bremen?"
Kroos hesitated for a moment but quickly understood. He seriously replied, "Manchester City is stronger than Werder Bremen."
Guardiola was pleased with his answer and asked Mandzukic:
"Mandzukic, who do you think is stronger between these two teams?"
Mandzukic replied in his gruff voice, "Manchester City is stronger!"
Guardiola nodded and turned to the third person:
"Müller, what do you think?"
"Manchester City is stronger!"
...
Guardiola asked a few more players, and almost everyone thought Manchester City was stronger.
This was undeniable. Werder Bremen's budget squad couldn't compare to City's multi-billion-pound lineup.
"Since you all think Manchester City is stronger than last season's Werder Bremen, do you have a 100% guarantee of beating last season's Werder Bremen?"
Most players already knew what he was getting at, so they didn't answer. Only Boateng honestly replied, "No, we don't!"
"Oh? Why not?"
"Because they have Lin!"
Thinking of last season when Lin had toyed with him, Boateng still had psychological scars.
That match, where Lin had tricked him and the clip became a widely circulated gif online, was a nightmare for Boateng.
So, he was the most convinced of Lin's strength among all the players present.
"Hehe, Lin is now at Manchester City. Shouldn't you be more cautious?"
"If playing a weaker Werder Bremen was tough, why are you so sure of beating a much stronger Manchester City? Just because you're the Champions League winners?"
Guardiola's expression turned serious:
"I've also won the Champions League, both as a player and a coach."
"So, from my experience, being Champions League winners is both an honor and a curse."
"Since the Champions League was reformed, no team has successfully defended the title."
"If you think being defending champions allows you to underestimate every opponent, let me tell you, we won't go far in this season's Champions League!"
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