1 hour ago
36
Manchester City return to Spain on Wednesday night when they take on Real Madrid in the Champions League
Ten months ago, Manchester City travelled to Spain in hope rather than expectation of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League. The new league format proved to be the Blues' undoing as they finished in a lowly 22nd, qualifying for the play-offs by the skin of their teeth.
Standing in their way of a place in the knockouts was Real Madrid who finished four points better off than Pep Guardiola's side. The first leg of the play-off neither team wanted went in favour of the visitors as Erling Haaland's brace was topped by Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham late on as the La Liga giants secured a 3-2 win in Manchester.
At the Bernabeu, City were blown away as Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick powered Carlo Ancelotti's side into the knockout stages as the Blues refocused on domestic football. After the match, Guardiola was in a reflective mood and his assessment of the club resonated with supporters.
"A little bit, yes, we have started to do [the rebuild]. Things are not eternal, there are players who have an age," Guardiola explained. "With time the team, the club and everyone will accept what it is. We have been unbelievable [before] and we have to try step by step to get better [again].
"We cannot win the Premier League." Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Guardiola's assessment of the Blues was bang on the money. They were well off the pace in the Premier League title race and finished the season empty handed after defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
Something needed to change at the Etihad Stadium and so it proved in the summer. Kevin De Bruyne's exit was pre-announced and came as no surprise but Guardiola remained ruthless in his pursuit of returning to the top.
Ederson, Manuel Akanji, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish - all brilliant servants to the club who had the medals to show for it were all gone as City brought in the new blood. Tijjani Reijnders and Gianluigi Donnarumma caught the headlines in the summer as they arrived from AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.
But they have supplemented the rebuild as players from last season's squad rose to the occasion. Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly have tied down the full-back positions with Josko Gvardiol free to move back into his preferred position in central defence.
Phil Foden has been re-energised this season as he benefitted from a summer without international football while Jeremy Doku and Haaland move from strength-to-strength. Ten months on, City head to Madrid in expectation rather than hope.
The Blues may not have been convincing in wins over Leeds and Fulham but their comfortable 3-0 win over Sunderland saw them keep pace with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. All the momentum is now with City in not just the Premier League but heading into this Champions League fixture too.
Real were shocked by Celta Vigo at the weekend and the pressure is starting to mount on the shoulders of Xabi Alonso. City on the other hand lost their last Champions League fixture against Bayer Leverkusen but that was with a heavily rotated side and they won't make that mistake again.
Guardiola will fancy his team in December 2025 to be a much greater threat to Real than they were in February. The Catalonian has made good on his assessment back then and has rebuilt City into a side who can feel confident about putting in a performance and moving above their hosts by the end of the evening.
English (US) ·