Chastened, he responded with a devastating run of form.Ĭity boast an enviable depth in squad quality, which eases the strains of a hectic schedule. Kevin De Bruyne was the target of his criticism for not getting the fundamentals right earlier in the year. He knows how to coax the best out of his stars, too. Ruben Dias (left) and John Stones (right) are among City's expensive signings in recent years Initially deployed on the right-hand side when Eto'o and Henry were in the team, he was shifted more centrally into a false nine role and excelled even more. Guardiola came to hate the term 'tiki-taka' and possession for the sake of possession without direction.īut back then, the premise was to overload an opponent on one side of the pitch to create space to exploit elsewhere. Xavi and Iniesta, of course, were central to this control of the ball in midfield with Alex Ferguson once describing it as 'like being on a carousel and feeling dizzy.' There was an obsession with possession and, if the opposition dared to have the ball, of getting it back off them within a matter of seconds (six seconds ideally) through aggressive pressing. Guardiola's Barcelona are fondly remembered for their thrilling brand of football, which became popularly known as 'tiki-taka'. Rodri celebrates scoring the most important goal in City's history against Inter Milan
They completed the job thanks to Rodri's second-half winner against Inter Milan on Saturday night. They eliminated both Chelsea and Arsenal from the FA Cup, then were clearly superior to United in last weekend's final.īut some of their most swashbuckling performances were reserved for the Champions League, where City have finally cracked it after 12 years of striving.Įrling Haaland netted five times in their 7-0 last-16 demolition of RB Leipzig, before Bayern were brushed aside 4-1 on aggregate in the last eight.Ĭity's 4-0 defeat of reigning champions Real Madrid in the semi-final, second leg, however, must rank among the finest European performances by an English club ever. They amassed 89 points to finish five ahead of the Gunners, whom they beat 4-1 at home and 3-1 away, to win a fifth title in six seasons. City accumulated 89 points and scored 94 goals en route to winning another league titleĬity did not lose between February 5 and May 28, when on the final day they lost at Brentford with upcoming finals on their mind.
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