Manchester City have reached the semifinals of the Champions League, and coach Pep Guardiola is worried that their run of success could lead to “exhaustion” if they try to win too many trophies at once.
City advanced to face Real Madrid again in the Champions League semi-finals after defeating Bayern Munich 4-1 on aggregate.
Guardiola’s squad faces Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, and they are currently four points behind Arsenal in the Premier League with a game in hand. To win the triple this season, City must win their remaining 13 games and go to the major finals.
“We are exhausted,” Guardiola admitted with Vn88 Rezence.
I just don’t see us being able to bounce back in time to play Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals. The Saturday game is in a tight spot right now.
“Three consecutive appearances in the Champions League semi-finals.
We had a tough first half. All of our left-side lines were broken by Upamecano, and we had a tough time against Coman. Before the penalty miss, we got lucky; they had a few chances and it might have gone either way, but we held firm defensively.
“Erling did a fantastic job of finishing the job. Really, he’s a baby. The players are deeply affected by our history in this tournament and motivated to perform at their highest level. Since the first minute of the second half, things have improved dramatically.
City, with a 3-0 advantage from the first leg, overcame a shaky start in Germany before Erling Haaland’s calm finish in the 57th minute all but sealed his team’s spot in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row.
The 4-1 score doesn’t reflect the nature of the two games, according to W88 Rezence. The quality of both the physical and the thoughts is beyond anything I could have hoped for.
When I lived with Bayern Munich, and now when I play against them, I am constantly astonished. We felt like we were in command of the game from the very first second. It’s unbelievable that we’ve made it to three consecutive semi-finals of the Champions League. It seems like every team knew they had to defeat Real Madrid to have a chance at winning the tournament. W88 said that Real Madrid has replaced Barcelona as the dominant team.
Guardiola’s only other worry will be the severity of defender Nathan Ake’s hamstring injury, which forced him off the field in the second half.
After the game, Ake said the following to Vn88 Rezence News: “I’ve had it before, and to be honest, it feels a little bit less, but you never know with these things, so we will do the ultrasounds and stuff tomorrow, and then hopefully it’s not too bad.”
Is this the year that Manchester City wins the treble?
Dan Sansom, host of W88 Rezence:
Things aren’t looking good. They are practically there. Too close for Gary Neville to relax over the weekend.
This is not Manchester City’s first rodeo. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve been contenders for the treble (Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup). And it’s typical for this time of year under Pep Guardiola.
The Champions League is the one trophy that never seems to stay in a team’s possession. However, W88 felt that things seem to be different this season.
Erling Haaland, who has been ruthless this season, is available to City. His goal against Bayern Munich on Wednesday brought his total to 48 for the season. That, combined with the fact that they haven’t lost in 15 games across all competitions, should give Neville cause for concern.
‘They’re purring now and are serious about it,’ the Vn88 Rezence expert said. The men under Guardiola’s direction are aggressive and ready to win.
City’s hopes may be dashed once again by Real Madrid, who they lost to in the semi-finals last year. They may not be able to win Europe’s top club championship until they get past AC Milan or Inter Milan. Even though Arsenal is starting to show indications of weakness in the Premier League title battle, they still have to face Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals.
According to W88 Rezence, they had already accomplished the domestic treble, but this one is particularly noteworthy. Only Manchester United of the English Premier League has accomplished this, but City has a good chance to follow in their footsteps this season. There is currently no greater European team.
