Manchester City qualified for the "knockout" phase of the Uefa Champions ALeague tournament today with two matches in group play remaining. It was, as Kompany said, "an incredible achievement." In every blasted Champs League before this year, City were either "mathematically alive" in the group stage or mathematically dead! They advanced this year without David Silva and Kun Aguero, both lost to injury, with Kompany just back a week, and with Fabian Delph making his first, brief, appearance since season's beginning. They advanced by winning at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan where Sevilla had won ten consecutive Champions League matches. Ten! And they are the first English club ever to win at Sevilla.
Time is now a luxury for Manchester City rather than of the essence. They need not fling Aguero or Silva on in desperation. Captain Kompany said that manager Manuel Pellegrini engineered a "perfect" game plan for the team. He counterattacked. From beginning to end Sevilla had the time of possession and it ended 56%-44%. Very un-Man City. With Aguero, Tevez and Balotelli City won the EPL in 2012 by attacking relentlessly. They left even top opponents shocked and awestruck: 5-1, Tottenham, 6-1 United, 3-0 Villarreal, 3-0 Liverpool, 4-0 Porto. The only way English clubs could beat City was to "park the bus" in front of goal and let City flail away. Pellegrini counterattacked against Sevilla. Quite a cultural shift. Deprived of Aguero temporarily and of Tevez and Balotelli forever, with Aguero and Kompany and the others older Manuel Pellegrini demolished Sevilla with Fernandinho, Fernando, Bony and Sterling in counterattack, of those only Sterling with the pace to break Sevilla down. It was the perfect game plan. Pellegrini did yet more. He got his team over and beyond the psychic trauma of the opening UCL loss to Juventus at Etihad Stadium. The perfect strategy requires players who believe: in the game plan, in their manager, in themselves.
They now go on.
Time is now a luxury for Manchester City rather than of the essence. They need not fling Aguero or Silva on in desperation. Captain Kompany said that manager Manuel Pellegrini engineered a "perfect" game plan for the team. He counterattacked. From beginning to end Sevilla had the time of possession and it ended 56%-44%. Very un-Man City. With Aguero, Tevez and Balotelli City won the EPL in 2012 by attacking relentlessly. They left even top opponents shocked and awestruck: 5-1, Tottenham, 6-1 United, 3-0 Villarreal, 3-0 Liverpool, 4-0 Porto. The only way English clubs could beat City was to "park the bus" in front of goal and let City flail away. Pellegrini counterattacked against Sevilla. Quite a cultural shift. Deprived of Aguero temporarily and of Tevez and Balotelli forever, with Aguero and Kompany and the others older Manuel Pellegrini demolished Sevilla with Fernandinho, Fernando, Bony and Sterling in counterattack, of those only Sterling with the pace to break Sevilla down. It was the perfect game plan. Pellegrini did yet more. He got his team over and beyond the psychic trauma of the opening UCL loss to Juventus at Etihad Stadium. The perfect strategy requires players who believe: in the game plan, in their manager, in themselves.
They now go on.
