Manchester City is champion for being the best team in the world – 06/10/2023 – PVC

Spanish journalist Diego Torres, of the daily El País and famous for the book “The War of José Mourinho”, about his turbulent days at Real Madrid, had a peculiar theory about the Champions League final. Three hours before kick-off, Torres said: “Guardiola is scared”.

The day before, asked if Manchester City had an obligation and Internazionale a dream, the Catalan coach replied: “I’m also dreaming of the trophy.”

There was a hypothetical reason for some extra tension in Guardiola’s gaze. His retrospect against Internazionale, in the 2010 semi-final, and against Italian coaches, brought to mind eliminations like against Chelsea, by Roberto Di Matteo, or twice against Real Madrid, by Carlo Ancelotti, who overthrew Bayern, in 2014, and City in 2022.

With every conversation on the streets, fear was on the other side: “Il City me fa paura” (“City terrifies us”), said an Inter fan named Vittorio, with the number 32 shirt of winger Dimarco on his back. World champion in 1982 and Italian for Internazionale in 1989, former winger Giuseppe Bergomi defined the game in another way: “City are favourites, and Inter have to behave with realism, without wanting to look like a victim, but with ambition to win”.

The first half showed all of that. City were a tense team. Better than its rival, below its potential. Lost De Bruyne to injury in the 35th minute. Foden’s entry changed Gündogan’s behavior, confused the marking of interista midfielder Brozovic. Even so, the final minutes showed only one shot from outside the area by Akanji.

Haaland only kicked once, over goalkeeper Onana. Italian coach Simone Inzaghi’s plan was to surround Haaland with his three defenders. Repeat what José Mourinho did to paralyze Arjen Robben, in the Madrid final, 2010, won by Internazionale.

The first image on the screen, returning to the second half, was Guardiola taking a sip of water. At five minutes, he walked from one side of the technical area to the other. Suddenly he turned to the silent Manchester City crowd and asked them to stand up. For minutes they screamed. The cameras didn’t show.

Guardiola was, yes, tense. He dreamed of his third title, he knew that the world placed all the certainty of the trophy on him, which gave him the obligation.

The difference between City’s supporters, made up of tourists from all over the world, and Inter’s, made up only of Italians, was shown when Lukaku came out of the warm-up. An explosion of screams. Simone Inzaghi didn’t have to ask, the Italians sang all the time.

City has more team, he was nervous, and his stands, in silence. Lautaro Martínez almost scored, and the English hit back on the counterattack. Bernardo Silva dominated poorly, at 15 of the second half, and showed the lack that De Bruyne makes.

It was unimaginable that City would take so long to open the scoring, which happened in the 23rd minute of the second half, after a move by Bernardo Silva, hit by the defense, which was left at the edge of the area for midfielder Rodri to finish with the calm that seemed miss Guardiola.

Head up, look attentive, aim calibrated in the right corner.

Rodri is a kind of Guardiola from the old days, when the current coach was a brilliant defensive midfielder, capable of setting up the team from the first pass, in defense, as Johan Cruyff taught him.

Rodri was the calm that not even a bottle of water gave Guardiola.

The Istanbul final does not give the impression of the superiority that City have demonstrated all season. With the most positive attack, the least leaked defense, the top scorer Haaland, the leader of assists De Bruyne.

All this and the 4-0 defeat of Real Madrid in the semifinals serve much more to show that Guardiola has built and manages the best team in the world.

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