MOO #02 – Manchester City; True Champions Of Europe
Matter Of Opinion
#02
MANCHESTER CITY: TRUE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE
.. we’ve only a few days now to the UEFA champions league final 2019 in Madrid; without doubt one of the biggest footballing events in Europe annually calls on so much attention and obviously an exchange of opinions. This season more than most is bringing us a shocker of a final, an all English final; Spurs against Liverpool; unpredictable to say the least.
Yes as a Manchester city supporter,I truly believed our team had the best chance of not just making the final but going all the way to be champions. This Manchester city outfit and their certainly prestigious manager Josep Guardiola have been the best footballing side in Europe for the last 2 seasons. Without doubt;their brand of football has taken England by storm, achieving a high level 100points in the 17-18 season only to incredibly retain their title along with all other domestic titles within their reach. They have devastated and dominated domestically and not just any league but the trickiest puzzle on the board.
Looking back at the 17-18 season when their brand of football was too good for everyone in England; this Manchester city squad had an awkward champions league collision with and lost to a Liverpool side that went on to reach the final. This season again, Manchester city having had a tight grip on all competitions in England, they had another collision in a champions league quarterfinal match up with a Tottenham Hotspur side losing awkwardly on the UEFA away goals rule.
Pep Guardiola as one of Europe’s more prominent managers considered along with the famous names of today such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Vicente Del Bosque, Carlo Ancelloti, Louis Van Gaal and Roberto Mancini to mention a few that I know. His ticka-tacka side in Barcelona dominated Spain and won the UEFA champions league against a great Sir Alex Ferguson side twice in London during the 2011 final and 2009 during the final in Rome; and so winning the UEFA champions league is no mystery. He has transformed this Manchester city side into a pure footballing side and for the football lover, there hasn’t been a better entertainment outside of this Manchester city outfit. So definitely their failure to lift the UEFA champions league for the last 2 seasons has got to go on account of other factors outside of the footballing aspect.
Specifically looking back at the game, quarterfinal loss to Tottenham Hotspur this season, 2 critical junctures in the game. Fernando Lorente’s “headed” goal which would have been called for handball on any other day by any other referee was given controversially and then a Raheem Sterling late winner in added period which would have stood on any other day with any other referee was cancelled for offside. Both decisions were made by the Turkish referee after deliberate scrutiny with the assistance of the newly installed VAR system.
Looking back at the year before this; we had a high flying Manchester city side collapse to loss at Anfield in the UEFA champions league quarter final first leg after having a freaky and uncouth reception by the Liverpool faithful who came very close to shattering the Manchester City bus on arrival at their stadium.
I definitely think Pep Guardiola’s Manchester city side have been far too kind and reserved in their European pursuits for a team with their capability and ability; some would call it bad luck but I think it’s just footballing madness,unfairness; situations that could turn out differently. You cannot put it beyond Pep Guardiola to take the European title if he made it priority but you obviously have to look at UEFA, the newly introduced VAR system and the few issues regarding fans behaviour towards the away teams because for a pure footballing side like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester city, it’s never pretty having other factors interrupt what would be a perfect football game; this is what they play, perfect football.
Hence, always some work to do for UEFA, transparency and authenticity in the game. The UEFA champions league is no ordinary competition, not only is it worth millions of dollars annually; only the greatest footballing organisations all-over Europe participate, only players with the biggest egos are able to participate or maybe even dominate and only the most powerful managers succeed. UEFA has got to enhance its cover of the non-footballing aspects lest we watch a game we all love so much deteriorate.
This Manchester city outfit as a team with the Brazilian mix of Ederson M, French duo of Laporte and Mendy, Argentines Otamendi and Sergio Aguero and definitely high flying Englishman Raheem Sterling have proved that they are a special combination and as a unit, we may never see anything of this sort again. They’ve been a dream; an amusement for the English fans and under the management of the genius Pep Guardiola, they’ve been the best footballers in Europe for 2 seasons now. Best promoters of the beautiful game.
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