Pep Guardiola made his name at Barcelona, firstly as a player and more recently as a hugely successful manager. However, since leaving the Catalan giants, his record against Spanish sides in the Champions League has been poor. He’s won just two of seven meetings between the clubs he’s managed and Spanish opposition. For each of his three years as Bayern Munich manager, he lost to a team from La Liga in the semi-finals of the Champions League, before he arrived at Manchester City earlier this year and suffered a 4-0 defeat to his old side. So what are the reasons behind his poor record against Spanish sides? And does he stand a chance of beating them in Tuesday’s game?
Stopping Messi
Stopping Lionel Messi is a much easier task said than done. The diminutive Argentinian is one of the greatest players of all time and has terrorised all opponents. Bayern dominated Barcelona in the first leg of the 2015 semi-final, but a quick-fire brace from Lionel Messi and a late goal from Neymar all but ended the tie after the first game. The Argentinian was the difference maker again against Manchester City earlier this season as he netted a hat-trick. He very rarely plays a game in which he has no influence.
Complicating Things
City were competitive in the first half against Barcelona, but a lack of striking options hindered them greatly. Sergio Aguero had been left on the bench for the game and it’s the most recent example of Guardiola trying to find a solution to baffle and confuse the opposition. Barcelona have Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in their ranks, but none of them would have been sat on the bench against City. Guardiola made a brave decision and it backfired.
Two years after Bayern beat Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in the 2013 semi-final, Guardiola’s Bayern side crashed out at the same stage against the same opposition. Guardiola overthought tactically and started with three at the back, in order to throw the opposition off. However, he was forced to change after 20 minutes as his side weren’t able to get into the game. The match was 0-0 for 70 minutes, but Messi quickly ended it.
If Guardiola selects his best team to suit his way of playing, he might fare better against Spanish opposition, instead of trying to take one step further towards being an innovative genius.
Can City beat Barcelona?
City ended their winless streak at the weekend with a big victory over West Bromwich Albion. Their chances are helped with the absence of Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba for their game at the Etihad on Tuesday night. Alba started the game at the Camp Nou, but was withdrawn early through injury. Pique and Iniesta missed that game as well and Barcelona found a way around it, however the likely return of Sergio Aguero to City’s starting line-up might be a cause for concern amongst the defenders.
