Chapter 194 Guardiola rarely gets angry! (Seeking monthly votes)
Although they won the game, all major media criticized Manchester City after the game.
Not to mention tabloids like The Sun, which is good at creating gimmicks and gossip, even major newspapers like The Mirror, The Independent, The Guardian and even The Times have criticized Manchester City's performance in this game.
Among them, Miguel Delaney, a columnist for the Independent, wrote: "Pellegrini's team should not sacrifice the league for the Champions League. Their lead in the league standings is not big. Arsenal have won five consecutive games and are only one win away from them."
"I think we can't be too hard on the players on the field, after all, they are just a bunch of substitutes.
But Pellegrini's use of players obviously has a big problem. He should not put Aguero and Lin Quan on the bench at the same time. At least one of them should be arranged to start. "
"Manchester City played like a headless fly without Lin Quan and David Silva. Yaya Toure seemed to want to take over the game, but his several poor performances almost led to the team's defeat."
"For Yaya Toure, Pellegrini should either let him play as a front midfielder or restrict his activity area and not give him so much freedom. Not everyone can become a free man like Lin Quan.
Overindulging players will destroy the team's entire tactical system. Aston Villa's two counterattack goals in this game are inseparable from Yaya Toure! "
After criticizing Manchester City, Miguel changed the subject and praised Aston Villa: "Aston Villa's current record is not good, with two wins and four losses in six games, ranking fifth from the bottom in the Premier League.
But considering that they fought against four giants in the first six rounds and even won one of them, such a result can be said to be very amazing.
The strong teams ranked at the top of the Premier League this season all had a very difficult time against Aston Villa.
If this only happens occasionally, then it might be explained by chance.
But every game is so tense, it is definitely not a coincidence.
Perhaps, the teams ranked in the middle and lower levels of the league can learn from Aston Villa and study how they deal with the top teams. In this way, when they encounter these top teams in the league, they may be able to fight. "
In fact, without Miguel saying anything, many teams have already noticed Aston Villa's outstanding record.
In the past, due to the gap in hard power, many small and medium-sized teams basically had to lie down and wait for death when they met the giants ranked high in the standings.
There is no way. The gap in strength between the two sides is too big and their chances of winning are too slim.
Instead of wasting energy and time on the giants, it is better to fight with those equally weak mid- and lower-level teams. In that case, the probability of getting points is greater! But now, with Aston Villa taking the lead.
These mid- and lower-tier teams had some other ideas in mind:
Since Aston Villa can put these giants in such a difficult situation, why can't we do it?
There is nothing about Aston Villa that cannot be replicated, either in terms of lineup or playing style.
Their configuration is just like that of an ordinary team, nothing special.
The only difference is their playing style! Therefore, the middle and lower-level teams have begun to learn Aston Villa's playing style, and are ready to use this style to deal with the top teams.
The spread of this trend has caused panic among the wealthy families.
Arsenal coach Wenger was the first to speak out: "The Premier League should not condone fouls, especially vicious fouls against players."
"If many stars are injured due to rough fouls, it will not only be detrimental to the viewing experience of the game, but will also affect or even reduce the Premier League's overall European points, which is disadvantageous for all teams!"
The Premier League's European qualification is earned by these giants in the European competition, but if the players of the giants are injured by rough fouls by the mid- and lower-level teams in the league, how can they earn points for the league in the Champions League? Once the league's European competition results decline, their European qualification will also be affected. At that time, the number of teams that can participate in the European competition will decrease, and the pie that can be shared from the European competition will naturally become smaller.
This will not only affect the top teams, but also the mid- and lower-level teams.
Take a look at Ligue 1 and Serie A!
After their European performance declined, the overall broadcast ratings of the league fell, and the broadcast revenue fell seriously, causing many teams to fall into financial difficulties and even have to go bankrupt and sell the team.
Wenger hopes to use this method to warn league officials and small and medium-sized clubs not to do such things that harm others and benefit themselves.
However, almost all small and medium-sized teams ignored Wenger's warning.
"We know that Professor Wenger is a well-known coach and a big shot, but please just focus on your own team and don't tell us what to do. We can decide how to play football ourselves without outsiders interfering!"
The reason why I don't appreciate it is very simple.
The top teams are at the top and don’t have to worry about being relegated.
As for the mid- and lower-level teams, they are facing the risk of relegation.
Once relegated to the English Championship, the annual league revenue gap can reach tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of pounds! This is an astronomical figure for small and medium-sized teams! Because of this, almost every mid- and lower-level team is desperate to stay in the Premier League.
This is also the reason why it is so difficult to play against mid- and lower-level Premier League teams at the end of each season when the teams face the pressure of relegation.
There is no way. The income gap between the Premier League and the Championship is so huge. For most teams, they can hardly survive without the income from the Premier League. Since it is a matter of life and death, they naturally have to fight desperately.
Although coaches from other top clubs also came out to make appeals, the effect was minimal.
Neither the FA nor the Premier League has made any official statement.
They actually hope that the Premier League games can be more intense because this is the biggest selling point of the Premier League.
If the Premier League games lost such intense physical confrontations, it would lose a major feature, and their overseas broadcasting revenues might even be greatly reduced.
Therefore, they will not make public statements, but the concerns of the giants are justified.
Malicious fouls must be prevented and restricted. It's okay to foul, but don't kick and injure people at will.
The balance between the two needs to be determined by the referees themselves.
…
After the game with Aston Villa, Manchester City returned to Manchester by bus.
They have no time to care about the outside criticism and debate, because they are about to face the most important game in the Champions League group stage - home game against Bayern Munich!
Manchester City attaches great importance to this game.
Pellegrini even conducted closed training for the team and banned all visits from outside.
Obviously, he didn't want to reveal the team's tactical play so that the scouts from Bayern would not know it in advance.
On October 1, Bayern Munich arrived in Manchester two days in advance under the leadership of head coach Guardiola.
They moved into Manchester United's Carrington training base, but Guardiola did not conduct closed training.
His team conducted routine training before the game and did not seem to have designed any new tactics against Manchester City.
However, even so, Manchester City did not dare to be careless and the team sent out several scouts to monitor the opponent's every move.
This game is too crucial for them, Manchester City can't afford to lose! Manchester City has spent a huge amount of money to introduce many players this season. If they still can't qualify from the group stage, not only will they waste their money, but the entire team will become a laughing stock in the football world.
Although on the surface, the biggest threat to them in the group is only Bayern Munich.
But in fact, CSKA Moscow is also strong, especially since the opponent's home field has the blessing of winter buff, it will be very difficult to play.
The straight-line distance from Manchester to Moscow is more than 2,500 kilometers. With such a long distance, even if the weather is not taken into consideration, the team's condition will be greatly affected by the fatigue of traveling.
Add to that weather factors and some off-field influences, not to mention Manchester City, even Bayern Munich is not absolutely sure of defeating CSKA Moscow away.
Therefore, if they want to qualify, they must play well in this game and cannot give up trying just because their opponent is Bayern Munich.
If they surrendered directly because of Bayern's strength, they would lose their room for error, and if their expedition to Moscow failed in the future, they would almost be carried away.
Considering that Bayern may also fail in Moscow, Manchester City must win four games if they want to ensure their qualification.
They only have 3 points now, and Viktoria Plzen is relatively weak. The next time they face them at home, Manchester City is confident that they will defeat their opponents again.
But even so, it's still only 6 points, half way to 12 points.
Therefore, they must strive to win both of their home games, no matter whether the opponent is Bayern or CSKA Moscow.
If they can beat Bayern in this game, Manchester City will not only have the initiative to qualify but will also have it firmly in their own hands.
It's even possible to get first place in the group!
If they get first place in the group, they will be able to avoid the strong teams in other groups in the knockout stage, and their chances of reaching the quarterfinals will be greatly increased.
For Bayern, the situation is similar.
Manchester City is their biggest rival in the group and Bayern cannot afford to lose.
Compared to Manchester City's schedule, Bayern's schedule is even more devilish.
They will play away in Moscow in late November in snowy conditions.
The chance of winning is even worse than Manchester City!
However, unlike Manchester City who are ready for the game, Bayern is full of confidence in this game.
They have already won the Champions League, and as the defending champions, they have enough confidence to face all teams.
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Even a strong team like Barcelona was swept out by them, so how could a small team like Manchester City fail? Although Guardiola didn't want to add pressure to the players, he couldn't stand seeing the players despise their opponents.
“Stop!”
He stopped the training and waved for the players to come over.
The players didn't understand what was going on, but they obediently stopped their training, walked to the sidelines, and gathered around Guardiola.
However, Robben and Ribery were standing outside, whispering to each other, and they didn't seem to care much about what Guardiola had to say.
The two were obviously unhappy that Guardiola interrupted their training.
If the other party was not also a champion coach, they might not listen to him, or even ignore him directly.
Guardiola noticed this, but he didn't say anything.
He has been at Bayern for a relatively short time and has not achieved any results worth mentioning.
These players have played for Bayern for many years and have won league titles and even the Champions League.
Strictly speaking, they are the veterans of the team, and I am just a newcomer.
Young players may still buy into their championship coach, but older players may not.
Big-name players have bad tempers, so if you want to convince them, you have to show your strength on the field.
Guardiola is well aware of this, which is why he attaches so much importance to this game.
This should be the first tough battle he has faced since joining Bayern.
If we can beat Manchester City, we may not necessarily win the support and trust of the players immediately, but at least there will be no crisis of trust.
But if they lose to Manchester City, then Moyes's predicament at Manchester United may happen to him.
"I know many of you look down on Manchester City and think they can't possibly be our opponents."
Although the Bayern players did not say anything, the expressions on their faces proved that they really thought so in their hearts.
"But I want to tell you that our chances of winning at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow are less than 30%!"
The players widened their eyes and looked at Guardiola, each of them wondering: Is the coach crazy?
Is he serious?
Bayern vs. Manchester City, the winning rate is less than 30%?
How is that possible!
We are the Champions League champions, and the other team has never even advanced past the group stage. Moreover, Manchester City lost to them in the Audi Cup two months ago.
Such a team can beat the powerful Bayern! Bayern's players expressed their disbelief, even if it was said by Guardiola, they still doubted it.
"Haha, I know you don't believe what I say, so let me ask you a few questions."
Guardiola had anticipated the players' reaction, and Bayern players were very proud.
There was no way they were admitting they couldn't beat City.
This is the pride of the champion! "Kroos, how do you think Manchester City's strength compares to Werder Bremen last season?"
Kroos was stunned for a moment, but he immediately understood. He said seriously: "Manchester City is better than Werder Bremen!"
Guardiola was very satisfied with his answer, so he asked Mandzukic again: "Mandzukic, which of these two teams do you think is stronger?"
Mandzukic replied in a muffled voice: "Manchester City is strong!"
Guardiola nodded and continued to look at the third person: "Muller, what do you think?"
“Manchester City is strong!”
…
Guardiola then asked a few more people, and almost everyone thought Manchester City was stronger.
There is no doubt about it. How can Werder Bremen's cheap lineup be compared with Manchester City's luxurious lineup worth hundreds of millions of pounds? "Since you all think Manchester City is stronger than Werder Bremen last season, are you 100% sure you can beat Werder Bremen last season?"
Most of the players had realized what he was going to say, so they didn't answer. Only Boateng answered honestly: "No, no!"
"Oh? Why?"
"Because they have Lin!"
Boateng still has psychological trauma when he thinks of the scene where Lin Quan teased him last season.
The scene in which he was knocked down by Lin Quan in that game was made into a GIF and widely circulated on the Internet. For Boateng, this was simply his nightmare.
Therefore, among all the players present, he is the one who recognizes Lin Quan's strength the most.
"Haha, now that Lin is in Manchester City, shouldn't you be more vigilant?"
"It's so difficult to play against Werder Bremen, who are weaker than you, so why do you think you can beat Manchester City, who have improved their strength in all aspects? Is it because you are the Champions League champions?"
Guardiola's expression became serious:
"I've won the Champions League as a player and as a coach."
"So I tell you as a person who has experienced it, being a Champions League champion is both an honour and a curse.
"Since the Champions League was restructured, no team has ever successfully defended the title in this competition."
"If you think you are the defending champions and look down on all your opponents, then I can tell you that we will not go far in the Champions League this season!"
Please give me a monthly ticket!
(End of this chapter)