In the early morning of April 18, Beijing time, a high-profile match in the second leg of the Champions League 1/4 finals was played at Manchester City's home stadium, and the opponent was Real Madrid, a super giant in European football. After 120 minutes of hard-fought battle on the field, the two sides drew 1-1. In the subsequent penalty shootout, Manchester City's two shots were bravely saved by the Real Madrid goalkeeper, and finally lost 3-4 on aggregate, and were eliminated by Real Madrid 7-8 on aggregate, announcing the end of the road to defending the title in advance.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror after the game, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said affectionately: "I really want to thank the players, the way they play is amazing. However, football is all about winning and we obviously weren't good enough in this game. We created a lot of chances but unfortunately couldn't convert them into goals. Today, Real Madrid adopted a very tight defensive strategy, with almost all of them retreating into the penalty area, which made it difficult for us to penetrate their defence. This tactical set-up did not suit Real Madrid's usual style, who seemed to aim for a penalty shoot-out from the outset, lacking that burning hunger to win. Sometimes fate favors you and you win a penalty shoot-out, and sometimes it doesn't stand on your side. It's a pity that today we don't have the grace of Lady Luck. ”
In this interview, I was impressed by Pep Guardiola's praise for his players. In order to get a deeper understanding of the competition, I went out of my way to check the relevant data. The stats show that Manchester City have a staggering 67 per cent possession and 33 shots on goal against Real Madrid, far exceeding Real Madrid's eight shots. In addition, in terms of corner kicks, Manchester City and Real Madrid also reached a staggering 18-1. It can be said that in this game, the Manchester City players fully implemented Pep Guardiola's tactical requirements and showed an excellent performance. So I can fully understand Pep Guardiola's sincere gratitude to the players after the game.
In my opinion, the outcome of a football match is similar to that of a stock trade. When there is a suitable entry point, the execution belongs to the "people", but whether it can be truly profitable often depends on the market environment, stock themes and other uncontrollable "success in the sky" factors. Looking back at the match between Manchester City and Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola's team has undoubtedly achieved the ultimate in terms of "planning for people". Although Real Madrid's doors were bombarded by Manchester City more than 30 times, the final penalty shoot-out defeat did not show that City were not good enough. That's the beauty of football, sometimes a team that performs better doesn't necessarily make it.
Of course, we would also like to congratulate Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid on their success in reaching the last four of the Champions League with Mourinho-style football. This proves that in football, there is no such thing as ugly and outdated football, only reasonable and targeted tactical deployment. Every tactic has its own value and significance, and all of them deserve our recognition and respect.
Finally, we look forward to your likes and followers.
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