Pep Guardiola struck a tactical wrench and, with a goal from Julián Álvarez, City beat Real Madrid to play a new Champions League final

Pep Guardiola is the most scholarly coach in the history of football. Perhaps even the best, although it could be a subject of discussion. But the Catalan has done it again and will be in a new Champions League final, the fourth in his career as a coach winner: on June 10 against InterItaly In Istanbul. This work of art that is Manchester City model 2023 is not similar to the one in which he built Barcelona next to Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, but in some respects it is similar. Both excite, make the game beautiful. And both, Barça first and City now, have managed to bring the giant to its knees real Madrid, that gigantic club like any other. This Wednesday, she overpowered and beat him 4-0with a goal of Giuliano Alvarezwhich in seconds proved to be made for great things.

In the second leg in England, Guardiola started to win it in the corridors of the Santiago Bernabéu, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. The Catalan released a statement a week ago when he explained the reason for his performance Erling Haaland. Words more, words less, the coach said the defenders, rudiger AND praisethey had played well centralized guarding the Norwegian and didn’t jump to the sides to catch those who entered from the internal corridors. In Pep’s mind that was synonymous with free spaces, the star of modern football.

Thus, everything was simplified for Guardiola, who already knew in advance that Real Madrid would give him the mandate and that they would not pressure him in a rival camp. There was key space, the one that was formed between wings and central, to be occupied. And the crack that it is appeared in a solitary way Bernard Silvareceived by Kevin De Bruyne and defined as perfect to beat the giant Thibaut Courtois. 22 minutes went by and the lead was deserved because the venue had a monologue.

before the goal, Courtois had covered two headers inches from Haaland. Manchester had also handled the ball with precision and speed. It was a feast of passes and triangulations, of perfect accelerations and controls, of tactical and intelligent movements like that of John Stones, who switches from central defender to midfielder in every attacking play. A given: ball possession was in favor of the locals in a 70 percent. He reduced Real Madrid to nothingmaking it look like a better team than the Premier League. The Spaniards had only one clear shot – a shot from distance Tony Kros which crashed into the crossbar.

The second goal, deserved as much as the first, came after Ilkay Gündogan’s attack on the studied space and culminated in Bernardo Silva’s shot after a high rebound from Militao.

And Real Madrid had nothing to do with it anymore because there was no place for miracles. The performance of those commanded by Guardiola cannot be appealed. Militao collides with a cross from De Bruyne and scores the 3-0. It was all a party at the Etihad.

The gold pin for the Argentines put it Giuliano Alvarez, the Calchín born and educated in Rijeka. Haaland can’t sleep no matter how deadly a scorer he is. Because the Norwegian came out after 43 minutes of the second half and in 120 seconds the Spider He beat Courtois, that Belgian goalkeeper that the Norwegian failed to score in nearly 180 minutes. Álvarez fired a diagonal shot on the penalty spot, received a clearance from Foden and touched him delicately on the goalkeeper’s right post.

It was a anthological dance what Manchester gave to Real Madrid and the 4-0 win perfectly paints what the development has been. In England, Guardiola’s team is usually unbeatable. The numbers support the sentence: he has an unbeaten player for the Champions League 25 matches, with 24 wins and one draw, with 80 goals in favor and 19 conceded. Last time you lost? on 19 September 2018, 1-2 against Lyon of France in the group stage.

Manchester City have won and will play a new Champions League final, this time against Inter by Lautaro Martínez and Joaquín Correa. The English cast prevailed as they are, without a doubt, the better team today. And since he has a coach, Pep Guardiolathat can see everything and so much more.