Manchester City will regret not focusing on the Champions League
Pep had all the wrong priorities
The blue side of Manchester earned bragging rights over the whole of England this season. A dominant force like no other earned them a domestic treble and engraved Manchester City into the history books. A close-fought League campaign displayed how Pep and his men were able to emerge victorious over the 38 games despite the competition. The domestic cups were clinched at both ends of the season, via a dramatic penalty shootout and a six-goal thrashing. From start to finish, Man City proved that were able to improve on their spectacular performances of last season.
One area of their season that did not improve however was their progress in the Champions League. Once again Manchester City bowed out in the last eight of the Champions League. To make matters worse, their elimination was once again at the hands of an English side. The teams that have been dominated by City for the past two years are have been the ones to crush the European dreams of the Citizens. Tottenham Hotspurs offered very little in terms of bringing the fight to City, during their clashes in the Premier League. So, it makes no logical sense as to why City were unable to dispose of Spurs of the two legs in the Champions League.
When Pep Guardiola was commenting on how he felt about the domestic treble his side achieved, he said: “To do that is more difficult than to win the Champions League”. Of course, a domestic treble is something that will be admired for years to come. But glory within the Champions League is the pinnacle of club football. It is necessary that we have a competition to measure the best clubs against each other in order to determine who is at the top of the tree. The Champions League is that competition.
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And there is no doubt that Pep and all the City players will have been extremely jealous as they watched Liverpool lift the UCL trophy. The experienced manager will have the full understanding that nobody outside of England cares about their domestic treble. But the entire footballing world will have viewed in anticipation to see who would be crowned the kings of Europe.
The crucial knockout games are where the greats leave their legacy. Pep may have an obsession with consistency, but it is the ability to win a one-off game that makes a side special.
Manchester City is clearly the most dangerous and technically brilliant side in England, which is why watching Liverpool win the Champions League will hurt so much more. Neither Spurs nor Liverpool managed to get the edge over City in their domestic battles this season, yet the UCL final was absent of the Premier League winners.
Given the performance by Liverpool in the final, Guardiola will have felt his side would have eased to victory if they were in Tottenham’s place. It is no coincidence that Manchester City won everything on offer in England…they are simply a cut above the rest. It is not the quality of players, tactics or management that has led to another underwhelming European campaign. It is the poor prioritisation by Pep Guardiola. The decision to attack every contest with equal aggression left them helpless in the latter stages of the Champions League.
It may be appropriate for the board at Man City to suggest that the club has Europe as their main focus for next season. Unfortunately, the board may have not made that decision soon enough. The reality is that the established sides in Europe have had a unique blip this season. The custom semi-finals hosting Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus are bound to return. The giants across Europe have taken action by acquiring young talent in order to resume natural order at footballs highest level.
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The loyalty within the players at City is also under question. Their top players, such as Sterling and Sane are frequently rumoured to be linked with moves abroad. No doubt, it will be a while until City stop competing for the title in England. However, this may have been City and Pep’s last chance to bring the UCL trophy to the blue side of Manchester.