Barcelona vs Manchester City: On the previous occasions, we surrendered meekly, but this time it feels different
City blogger Ric Turner of Bluemoon writes about how confidence is soaring at the Etihad thanks to their new boss
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THERE is a great sense of anticipation as Pep Guardiola returns to the Nou Camp, the scene of his greatest triumphs as both manager and player, with his current Manchester City team still very much a work in progress.
The Catalan newspaper Sport hyperbolically called it “El Mejor Partido Del Mundo” on their front page today – “the best match in the world” – which seems odd, as were frequently told that was the game taking place at Anfield on Monday evening. Hopefully the likes of Messi, Neymar, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne can deliver something altogether more entertaining than the dour fare served up by Messrs Henderson and Fellaini earlier in the week.
It probably sounds a little trite to say that games against Barcelona have lost their novelty value (we did, after all, have a wait of over 40 years to be involved in Europe’s top competition once more), but this is the fifth time we have met them in the past four seasons.
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On the previous occasions, we surrendered meekly, the players seemingly in awe and beaten before the game had even begun, but it feels a little different this time around. We clearly don’t go there as equals just yet – Barcelona are still arguably the best club side in the world, after all – but confidence is high at City following an impressive start to Guardiola’s reign in Manchester.
No wins in our last three games has tempered expectations a little, but there were plenty of encouraging signs in the draw with Everton at the weekend.
Barca will, of course, start as clear favourites but Guardiola is unlikely to employ tactics as conservative as his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini so it should be an open, entertaining game.
Hopefully Guardiola will play a back three of John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany, which would give us numerical superiority in midfield whilst enabling us to play our most threatening offensive players. In all likelihood, Barcelona will prevail once more but it would be better to go down with a fight. We’re not quite at their level yet, but the gap is slowly narrowing.
CITY'S WOEFUL RECORD AGAINST BARCELONA
- 18 Feb 2014 - Man City 0-2 Barcelona
- 12 March 2014 - Barcelona 2-1 Barcelona
- 24 Feb 2015 - Man City 1-2 Barcelona
- 18 March 2015 - Barcelona 1-0 Man City