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Pep Guardiola, head of Manchester City, said his team only had a percentage of progress in the Champions League against Real Madrid on Wednesday, but the new recruits of the English champions could offer a leash.
City gave a late 2-1 lead in the first leg of the Play-Off tie at home to lose 3-2 against the owners.
This collapse was part of a wider trend this season, since Guardiola’s aging squad fought to enliven the pace, especially when the intensity in the nights of the Champions League appeared.
As a result, the city broke out with its usual transfer policy in order to spend in January, and brought Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez for a total of £ 170 million ($ 214 million).
However, none of them started the first leg against Madrid. Marmoush was the only one who even performed in the last minutes in front of the bank, since Gonzalez and Khusanov were unused substitute substances and rice was not registered in the city’s European squad.
Guardiola could now play a central role in the best performance of the season on Saturday after Marmoush, Gonzalez and Khusanov, when Newcastle was reversed with 4: 0 in Etihad.
Thanks to his hat trick, Marmoush made the headlines in the first half and finally offered another strong risk of evaluation to add Erling Haaland.
Khusanov recovered from his nightmare Premier League debut against Chelsea last month when he gave away a goal within three minutes and could have been sent shortly after.
This time the Uzbek showed why City Lens paid 40 million euros for his services with 42 million euros.
The pace of the 20-year-old helped go out the risk of Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, and could be what visitors need to fight the threat from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Guardiola reserved a special praise for the effects of Gonzalez on the city’s midfield, the stability that has suffered a serious knee injury since Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in September.
The graduate of the Barcelona Academy seems to start with his return to Spain with his manager, who has already described the 23-year-old as “Mini Rodri”.
– Gonzalez a Game Changer –
“The team’s balance looks much, much better with Gonzalez,” said former city defender Micah Richards.
“City has players who can score and really hurt goals, but he has some stability behind them that they will need to manage the game in Madrid.
“Do you have more chance to start starting 11 with him? Without a doubt.”
However, even in the golden years of Guardiola in Manchester, City has often found the power of Madrid too difficult to crack in the Champions League.
This is the fourth season in a row in which the teams met, with a 5-1-chamber drout, on which the city’s only success has won in the city for the first time.
Three years ago, they seemed to go to the Parisian final with a two-goal lead, which went into the stoppage time of the second leg before Rodrygos Quickfire-Double sent the draw to the extension and ultimately Madrid to a 14th European crown.
Last year it was punishment that the Spanish giants brought over the line after the city dominated the majority of the two points in the quarter -finals.
Guardiola conceded the view that his page found her best again when you need it most urgently is unlikely.
“This season was the reality that we were miles away, miles away. If you tell me that we would appear like today (against Newcastle) and of course not. We would be higher, “said Barcelona’s former boss.
“The results were bad this season. I will not change my opinion for a game.
“If you ask someone before this game, we have one percent, but as much as we have a chance, we will try. That is safe. “
However, a timely injection of fresh blood hopes that a miracle in Madrid is possible.
KCA/DMC
