Manchester City that dramatic collapse away around Madrid in
the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. How do we
think that will impact them in the Premier League title race
late in the season, but Nick first and foremost that game
was absolutely Bonkers right around Madrid City. However, L
scored
twice late to take it to extra time.
What were your first thoughts on that game
to start with? And then we'll go a bit deeper into, man
cities analysis and how it could impact them. But what
again, that was an all-time classic semi final Act
Absolutely incredible. And it's one of those things where in
lat yesterday. I literally thought to myself, I'll maybe
I will break down second-by-second. Who was it
for? What mistakes happened,
but it was just chaos and I do,
you know, I technically a keep referring to it as a Manchester
meltdown. I do want to give credit to Real Madrid. I think
obviously us being a premier league site. A lot of times we
focus on these two teams, which have
shown themselves in man sitting in Liverpool to be,
you know, among the vast if
D best in the world this year, but what Real Madrid has done
in winning their their league by
depending on how they react over the next couple, you
double digit points and beating PSG Chelsea
and Man City,
you know, I had a friend of mine to eat out. I don't think
any of these teams will be Liverpool and I just wanted to
be really
because Real Madrid has taught us
plenty and I think it'd be silly to doubt them right now.
It really would be right, Andy, because they just have that
over about them. And you point out my many weeks ago. Let's
give you a big pat on the back. You said they win the champions
league and
that was just Sensational the way. They just
didn't have a shot on target until the last, you know, 90th
minute of that game. And then they just came through and
different players would re go. This time Benzema in the past,
just keep stepping up and they just Never say die, right? Real
Madrid, it's Sensational, but
for man city, that was just
so damaged, it will get into that. But what were your
thoughts on this game?
Yeah, we're two seasons into doing the PST videos, and I am
90 minutes away from predicting both Champions League winners
at the start of the known Realms which, you know, that,
that's not nothing. And and I think what I said when we when
we predicted it, a couple months ago, was, it had a team
of Destiny vibe to this Real Madrid team because it's not
the most talented. It's not the most big names
that they isn't even close to the most big names that they've
ever assembled on a squad. But it is, it's kind of a, it's
an old-school type team where they were, Really, really hard. And
I think they've taken on a little bit of the personality
of Carlo ancelotti. I think he is stabilized. What was a pretty
in a rough situation? When Zinedine Zidane left once
again, and he's come in and just kind of galvanized this
group and got them playing really, really hard. It's not
too flashy. They score a couple Cole's off
of set pieces to get the job done late. They get a penalty.
They've got the one star at Center forward that can drag
them to results. And that's maybe the one big difference or
one. One of the big differences in town. These two teams,
Manchester City and Real Madrid were built and that ended up
being kind of the difference, over the two legs, because
of what Karim Benzema, was able to do in the first leg,
obviously, converts the penalty and extra time of the second
leg. So it's a little bit surprising. I think to see
Manchester City. Once again kind of
fall apart.
Manchester meltdown is a pretty good phrase for it, but I just
think the way that they play and the way that the way that
Pepsi's the game, I think as much as much as anything maybe
gets in their way a little
Maybe gets in his way a little bit because it's always about
controlling the game and seeing it out from where they have it
and I think Nick you and I were texting
halftime and all the way through the second half and
extra time of that game and it just felt like City. We're
going to be two idle. They were going to sit still, they were
gonna let Madrid have a little bit too much
and obviously, it took until
stoppage time for them to get the two goals, but it just had
that feeling like it was coming because they let them hang
around. Around and even Lamar has scored. I don't know. It
was, it was tough to count that Madrid team out because of what
they've done in La Liga the season
and the path that they've taken to get to this point in
the Champions League. Nobody. Nobody can ever take anything
away from this Madrid team if they go on and win the final
because of who they beat to
do it.
Absolutely. I mean, the kind of done it the hard way, but you
mentioned it right there, right? In the middle.
The big difference was the goal scorers like the superstars
Benzema, Rodrigo man, Secret. So many chances and even they
had opportunities to wrap it up in 90 minutes when Jack
grealish
look like he scored incredible clearance off the line and then
that another chance and that's been the story of Man City
season and why we're not talking about them winning
the treble or quadruple. Now, it's all just down
to the Premier League title. It sounds boring. Right? I've been
saying it all season but the lack of not having a Harry
Kane. Not having an early Harlan not having that Central
forward
to put these chances away as really come back to bite them
in the back side. And
yeah, I just just
sometimes but was a very simple game and is wonderfully
creative as Man City are. If they keep passing up those
chances. You just keep giving teens like around Madrid of all
of their experience and their good balance of you from
experience.
They keep in that belief that they're still in the game.
Somehow. We're hanging in there. Right? So
my next question, really to you guys, Nick, let's start with
you.
How will that collapse impact, man? Sit, your, his Pep
Guardiola has been coming out and said, maybe I'm not
the right man for the job.
You know, I'm not sure. And
there's Is there more pressure on them now? Or is that it's
almost maybe a relief. That is full focus on just one trophy
in. Okay, was still one point ahead
of Liverpool. We can still do this and Salvage his season. So
it's really on a knife edge from an City, isn't it?
Yeah, I don't think there could possibly be relief.
I don't know.
I think the emotional tumult right now has to be higher than
or bigger or, however, you want to measure it, then, it could
possibly be.
I mean,
I think, at the heart of it.
You know, it's one of those things where you have to decide
the culture, the history, everything that goes into it.
How can you write it off in this one off? Because at
the heart of it Tibor, quote Tebow who courtois
had? An absolutely phenomenal game getting just a little bit
of the boot on that. One shot from grealish. Ford saves in
the first half when this game could have been
absolutely in bed.
And if you were to go
to the situation, if you were to look at it as a whole,
you could absolutely say look as a one-off.
This is This stuff happens, right? Raheem Sterling against
Lyon
missing very very in tight.
All of these things could can be written off as a one and
honestly,
perhaps they should be
that perhaps in this instance. It may be should be Ruben Diaz
and America. Laporte kind of just fell apart in
42 minutes. The the penalty was was
kind of wild and itself and,
you know, I look at it. And I have to think to myself,
if you look at the entire system.
It is simply a finisher.
But even then the goalkeeper was absolutely incredible. So,
I mean, I know to write it off, sounds insane and I'm not
forgiving anybody. This is a
huge failure, huge, but I don't know that using a big picture
will look at these guys. Failing
is is anything to do in a
In a wise sense. Yeah, it's
this year alone. Sure, that's fine. Right? But it's every
year
it's year after year
after year at and eventually that adds up and you have to
say and I think I think it's kind of a probably
tongue-in-cheek a bit but also a mature thing from Pep to say,
well, you know, everybody sees me as this really, really great
icon of managing.
Maybe I'm not the right man for the job and just just to
consider it. Obviously, that's a little bit ludicrous to say
that, but I think the way that they play, obviously it suits
a League season, where you've got 38 games and you can exert
the type of control
within a game and over the course of the season, the way
that he wants his team to play with, because I think at his
core Pep Guardiola, is nothing more than a control freak. He
wants to be able to dictate
everything, every kick of the ball, every touch of the ball,
everything that happens from the opening whistle to
the final whistle. And you can do that in a 90-minute. Are, you
know, that's the structure, but when you're talking about
knockout rounds
and you're talking about two legs and you have to manage so
many micro situations during that, that seems to be where
Manchester City fall apart, just a little bit and not
having that centre-forward again.
Like it's been easy. I think for a lot of people to look at
me and see and say, well, they don't need a Centre forward,
this year. Look at what they're doing in the league, and then
you look at The Knockout competitions. And you say
that's where you need a center for. That's where you need
somebody, who can get you a vital goal.
And I think This is game was our. This tie was probably lost
in the first place. Now that I'm thinking about it because
they went up two goals,
three different times in that game
and every single time
just a hard-nosed Madrid team, knew how to keep themselves in
the tie. They got a goal every single time to pull it back to
one goal,
and then they set themselves up for what they did in the second
leg. So, even those situations, I think we're probably
mismanaged a little bit. You've got a two-goal lead at home as
well, and they weren't able to hold on to any of them.
It's crazy. Even in the second leg,
going down to the last five minutes. They were in control.
It seems to me and then all of a sudden, like Nick said, they
just fell apart of the back. Just one chance went in and
that was, it was a
utter chaos, and it never really looked like they were
going to get back a head off of that. They'll just demoralized.
And it looked like it was all just a bit too much for them.
And considering how much these players have won
over their careers. It was quite surprising as
a collective that they folded in that manner, but
gentle do we think of me for games to go, you look at
the schedule of see some some tough games, but I easier running
than Liverpool on pay-per-view at Newcastle,
wolves West Ham and Villa. Those are the final four games,
The City. They win those four games that they're
the champions of the Premier League. So
on paper Nick you'd say City would easily when those four
games, but we just don't know how this is going to impact
them, right?
Right. I mean, I think it all comes down to it, all comes
down to what a silly thing to say. But it all comes down to
this weekend
if they get through this weekend and the emotional
damage in the travel and all that. Then I have no doubt
about them. And frankly, we talk about what they're set up
to do. They are
set up to just function and be able to go through the motions
of their system. If you will not go through the motions, you
know, without passion
and win. But you're going to go to Newcastle and,
and Callum or a play Newcastle and Callum, Wilson could be back.
It's a team that's very feisty and ready to stick it to them
and has got a result for against them before. I expect,
man said he to win decisively,
but
he can't really expect anything. Can you, isn't that
a little bit foolish? When you consider the emotions involved
in the fact that those emotions go from the kit man to
the chairman?
Absolutely, everyone can affect the Vibes and nerves, and
anxiety, and comfort, and calm, and whatever you want to say.
Absolutely. Anything could Even in this game.
It really could it really could. So
remember to head over the pro soccer? Talk on NBC sports.com
fall. Let's analysis reaction how to watch information on
land City, see how they react to that damaging defeat in
the Champions League semi-final. Huge moment. It feels like
a Pep Guardiola has project. It's difficult to know
kind of how they're going to pick themselves up were, but
we're about to see how they're going to do that in the final
weeks of the season. And, as I said, we have you covered on
PST where everything needs to know
about man's City. And the final weeks of the campaign, as they
try and get over the line, at least win, one trophy, the The
season because it looked like they were going to win four at
one point or at least three and now it's all down
to just the Premier League trophy.