MADRID — Pep Guardiola stated that Manchester City have a “very slim” chance of overturning their Champions League tie against Real Madrid following a 3-0 loss at the Santiago Bernabeu.
City were caught off guard by a remarkable 22-minute hat trick from Federico Valverde in the first half, leaving their hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals hanging by a thread ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next week.
– Madrid in awe of one of the ‘best on the planet’, Valverde
– Valverde’s hat trick steals the spotlight as Madrid outclass Man City
Guardiola’s squad was given a fleeting hope when Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a penalty from Vinícius Júnior in the second half.
When asked about City’s chances of qualifying for the next round, Guardiola replied, “Right now, not much. Of course, we will try. We will analyze what we can improve and aim to be more effective in the final third.”
Prior to the match, Real Madrid’s coach had predicted that Guardiola would surprise everyone with his lineup, and he did so by starting Jérémy Doku, Savinho, and Abdukodir Khusanov.
He also shifted Nico O’Reilly from midfield to left-back, but the 20-year-old misjudged a long ball from Thibaut Courtois leading to Valverde’s opening goal.
Guardiola substituted Savinho at halftime with the team down 3-0, and later defended his decision-making regarding the lineup. “How often has Nico O’Reilly played left-back this season? How many times?” he responded to questions about his choices.
“The only adjustment made was putting Khusanov in that position because you need to manage Vinícius’s movements in that area. I rotated 11 different players in Newcastle, and that worked out fine, so I hope this is understood,” he added. “Part of the strategy was to drop the wingers and have players in the middle close to the box, maintaining control with experienced, quick players behind the striker and second striker.”