In his four seasons at the helm at Barcelona, Guardiola was often Madrid’s bane in both Spain and Europe and now, he stands in front of them once more. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: It is perhaps fitting that the man standing between Real Madrid and their first ever Champions League final since their 2001 triumph is Barcelona legend Pep Guardiola.
In his four seasons at the helm at Barcelona, Guardiola was often Madrid’s bane in both Spain and Europe and now, he stands in front of them once more. With a different team but one just as dangerous as Guardiola’s Barcelona.
However, they are not infallible. Madrid will take heart from Borussia Dortmund’s recent 3-0 demolition of Munich and Carlo Ancelotti would have noticed the way pace troubled Bayern’s slow central defence. If Guardiola insists on sticking with his preference of a high line, then Madrid have a chance of exploiting the space in-behind.
With Ronaldo fit again, Guardiola must ensure that he does not let Madrid do what his previous charge allowed them in the recent Copa del Ray final; hit them on the counter. Ronaldo will surely be more ruthless than Gareth Bale and company were last Wednesday. However, Bale may not feature due to an illness and if so, Madrid will miss his pace, especially considering how he used it in last week’s sensational winner.
Madrid will know that Guardiola’s men are likely to boss possession and Arjen Robben, returning to his old club, will once again be looking to make Madrid rue the decision of letting him go. While the strength of both teams lies in their attacking prowess, Ancelotti must make sure that his team does not concede an away goal. Bayern, on the other hand, are looking for just that.
“We need to score at least one goal,” said Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “That’s what we learned from Dortmund’s meetings with Real Madrid.”
To prevent that, Madrid might have to play Pepe or Ramos in midfield since it is vital that they have someone to break up Munich’s play. Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric may be exceptional on the ball but they will need someone to win it back for them. If they fail to do so, then Ronaldo, Di Maria and Bale, for all their pace, may be silent spectators for what may prove to be a very long 90-minute period for the home side as Bayern’s patience slowly grinds them.
However, it is perhaps this patience that Guardiola has instilled in this Bayern team that has made them less dangerous than what they were last year. Instead of going for the jugular and looking as if they will score every time they receive the ball, this Bayern team prefers to wait for its chance. In doing so, they often allow the opponent to regroup. Arsene Wenger, the only man to play Bayern in Europe both years, claimed that this year, they are not as dangerous.
Bayern almost limped through Manchester United in the last round but they still have a very realistic chance of completing a double-treble and hence break the European jinx to become the first team to successfully defend its Champions League title.
Madrid will also fancy their chances of completing a treble and make history by achieving the illusive La Decima. While the semi-final pits the two best teams in the competition against each other, Madrid will be additionally motivated to go through and book a final date either with their previous coach or with their Madrid rivals.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2014.
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