While Guardiola admits a three-goal deficit demands a ‘perfect game’ in tonight’s quarter-final second leg at the Etihad, like all perfectionists, he believes that perfection is achievable
FOR a bloke who’s staring down the barrel of a gun, Pep Guardiola sounded pretty damned bullish.
But then again, Manchester City’s manager does operate in the imagination business.
He learned his trade in a dream factory in Barcelona where they tend to think six impossible thoughts before breakfast each day.
Last year his former club were 4-0 down to Paris Saint-Germain after the first leg of a Champions League tie.
Then they allowed PSG an away goal at the Nou Camp. Then they went into the 88th minute still needing three goals to qualify. Yet they won 6-1 and qualified.
So while Guardiola admits a three-goal deficit against Liverpool demands a ‘perfect game’ in tonight’s quarter-final second leg at the Etihad, like all perfectionists, he believes that perfection is achievable.
Guardiola was angst-ridden and self-doubting in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s remarkable Manchester derby capitulation, when City surrendered a two-goal lead and squandered the chance to noisily celebrate the title against their neighbours.
But despite those two three-goal blitzes — in the first half at Anfield last week and in the second half against United — Guardiola was talking up the inevitability of City ruling Europe sooner or later.
He insisted that all they need is the sort of self-belief that an improbable comeback victory tonight would give them.
“We need titles in Europe,” he said, “it’s so complicated but you need big nights that make the people understand it.
“Beating Barcelona (in the group stage last season) was so special because we know they’re the best team in the world. And to beat them creates that belief.
“But it will happen sooner or later. What this club has done in the last ten years, in terms of creating amazing facilitiesliverpoo and making the club bigger, sooner or later it will happen.
"Even for the big clubs you need a lot of time but hopefully we can do it. Maybe next year or maybe the next one. But soon it will happen.
“To reach the semi-final in this competition would be only the second time in our beautiful history — so we don’t need to talk much about motivation or about how beautiful it is.”
BARCELONA 6 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 1 March 2017 (Barca win 6-5 on agg)
Lionel Messi and Co became the first side in Champions League history to overturn a four-goal, first-leg deficit.
They were still 5-3 down on aggregate with seven minutes left but a Neymar double and Sergi Roberto strike won it.
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA 4 AC MILAN 0 April 2004 (Deportivo win 5-4 on agg)
Reigning European champions Milan were cruising into the semi-finals after a 4-1 first-leg win.
But three first-half Deportivo strikes and a 75th-minute goal from sub Gonzalez Fran sent the Italians crashing out.
MONACO 3 REAL MADRID 1
April 2004 (5-5 on aggregate, Monaco win on away goals)
Fernando Morientes scored in both legs to send his parent club out in the quarter-finals.
Raul put the Galacticos ahead in Monte Carlo, before a Morientes strike and two from Ludovic Giuly.
MANCHESTER UNITED 3 OLYMPIAKOS 0
March 2014 (Utd 3-2 on agg)
Robin van Persie’s treble fired United into the quarter-finals in one of the few highlights of David Moyes’ doomed reign at Old Trafford.
CHELSEA 2 PSG 0 April 2014 (3-3 on agg, Chelsea win on away goals)
The Blues staged a similar comeback to United when Andre Schurrle’s strike and Demba Ba’s late finish sent them into the semi-finals.
Guardiola twice led Barca to European glory but he has since failed to reach a final on his previous five attempts with three different clubs — with some spectacular losses along the way.
He said: “We’ve reflected on that and we’ve spoken a lot. That’s happened, it’s true, but it can happen to all the big clubs.
“I once went to the final of the Champions League with one shot on target and once I didn’t go to the final with 33 shots on target.
“Football is unpredictable. All we can do is create a lot of chances. The way we play in every game all season shows what they want to do.
“My team is extraordinary, not comparable to many others, it’s exceptional.
“It’s a joy to be manager of them. Even on Saturday, the way we played — I was so delighted with the amount of chances we created against United.”
Nine times this season City have won by at least the four-goal margin they need tonight, including a 5-0 thrashing of Liverpool in the Premier League.
On four more occasions they’ve achieved the 3-0 scoreline which would force extra-time.
That victory over Jurgen Klopp’s men in September was aided by a Sadio Mane sending-off — and City’s best hope may be that a card-happy Spanish ref Antonio Mateu Lahoz obliges them similarly tonight.
There was acknowledgement from Guardiola that Liverpool’s swift counter-attacking abilities make them the toughest of opponents in these circumstances.
But with Sergio Aguero ready to start and with the breathtaking talents of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling at his disposal, Guardiola’s claim that ‘anything is possible’ is no empty bombast.
Klopp, whose teams have defeated Guardiola’s on an unrivalled seven occasions, thinks about football very differently to the City boss.
The Anfield chief believes in a chaos theory and he was quite adamant yesterday that ‘perfection’ is a pipe dream.
Klopp said: “When we lost here 5-0, everybody saw the quality of City, even though we were one man down. Their preparation for the season, their signings, the best coach in the world.
“It is clear they would be outstanding but there is no perfect football team in the world. The game doesn’t give you the chance to be perfect.”
Guardiola doesn’t believe a word of that, of course.
He may have been away from Barca for six years but he remains a firm believer in football’s infinite possibilities.
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