Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola spoke differently about the upcoming confrontation between the two teams on Wednesday evening in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Ancelotti said Real Madrid needed more than individual talent to beat Manchester City in the clash as they seek to win their 15th European Cup.
Real won 5 Champions League titles in the last decade, including 3 with Zinedine Zidane and two with Ancelotti, including last season when they beat City in the semi-finals 6-5 on aggregate.
The two teams tied 1-1 in the first leg in Spain, where Real Madrid advanced with a stunning goal by Vinicius Junior, but City’s Kevin De Bruyne equalized in the second half.
A special effort from Camavinga, Vinicius took advantage of it with a missile that settled in Ederson’s net ⚽️👑
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Ancelotti – who won the Champions League 4 times as coach, a record number, with AC Milan and Real Madrid – warned his players against complacency in front of the opponent at the Etihad Stadium.
“Quality alone is not enough to face such matches; you have to have other things. It’s not easy to explain (Real Madrid’s recipe for success), but I think the Champions League is special for Real Madrid because of history,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Tuesday.
Ancelotti talks about the Man City goal and considers the ball out#Champions League | #Real_Madrid_Manchester_City#UCL | #beINUCL pic.twitter.com/vt6eWVClTx
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The Italian coach expected an even match, as happened in the tie at the Bernabeu last week.
Ancelotti added, “Tomorrow will not be different from the first leg. We want to improve some things from last week. City have the best team in Europe at the moment and it will be exciting.”
He continued, “But when we deal with a competitor of this size, we do not look at a specific player or players. We do not only think about Erling Haaland, and what about Kevin De Bruyne? What about Ilkay Gundogan? What about Riyad Mahrez? It will be a difficult match.”
Kevin De Bruyne ignites the match by scoring the equalizer for Manchester City ⚽️🔥
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Guardiola advises his players to enjoy the moment
On the other hand, Manchester City – who is chasing a hat-trick of titles this season – seeks to win its first title in the Champions League, but its coach Guardiola said that winning the championship will not determine the club’s legacy or his career with the team.
“My legacy, and ours, is really exceptional,” Guardiola told a smiling news conference.
Guardiola led Barcelona to win the European Champions League in 2009 and 2011, and despite City winning the Premier League title 4 times in the last 5 years, he may achieve the fifth title next Sunday; The team has yet to win the biggest club football competition in Europe.
City is 4 wins away from a possible treble victory, as it faces Manchester United in the FA Cup final on the third of next June.
The Spanish coach said, “Maybe my legacy will hold a book about that one day. The legacy is that we had great times and played great football. The best legacy you can achieve is that you played well and performed great.”
That is why Guardiola (52 years) asked his players to enjoy Wednesday instead of focusing on the strength of the match. Here, we will do everything and give everything.”
Guardiola said his team should play “much better” than the Madrid game, and hoped his team would be more flexible in attack.
City lost to Chelsea in their only Champions League final appearance in 2021.
The final of the current version of the Champions League will be held on the tenth of next June at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in the Turkish capital, Istanbul.