Chaotic conductor Pep Guardiola sees his Champions League dream fall apart | Barney Ronay

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Manchester City’s manager – the defining tactical brain of his age – picked a team that malfunctioned and looked muddled

Oh, Pep. Why Pep? Why do it to yourself? On a soft, balmy, thrillingly boisterous night in the suburbs of Porto, the defining tactical brain of the age sent out the strongest squad in Europe to face a team that had lost three of its last four games. And yet again, he blinked. Porto is a sleepy town, the only real disturbance in the past few days some gentle English infighting. But this was a case of a man very publicly mugging himself.

This City team has been irresistible for the last five months, has found a shape, a system, a set of rhythms that have carried them though the field without breaking stride. At which point, enter the black cloud. Hello doubt, my old friend. I’ve been expecting you.

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/pep-guardiola-champions-league-final-fall-apart-manchester-city

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