HOW TO WIN THE DEMONIC COMPETITION.

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The Champions league is always about chaos, moments, and magic. It is an unplanned night; nothing goes according to plan. You don't get prepared for a night full of chaos, it is impossible in this sport. Most people believe mentality helps on champions league nights, magical players, some believe it is about heritage, and some believe it's luck. What exactly can you do to overcome this irrespective of all these?













Josep Guardiola one of the greatest coaches ever with his Barcelona team of 2009-2012 won two Champions Leagues, which was 2 in 3 years at some point. Another great Manager that did great was Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid that won 3 champions league in 3 years, 2015-2018. We should know these two

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managers had the chaotic, clutch, magical players that played a vital role in this amazing Champions League era. They fed this demonic competition the players it deserves. Messi and Ronaldo's effects in their respective teams were powerful. Zidane came back after he left with three champions league to replicate his amazing champions league run, but he couldn't and he left.
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Guardiola went to Bayern Munich; he was so close that he lost three times in the semi-finals. He left Germany and got a new job in England with Manchester City. He couldn't also with so many bad results along the way.



You might say both Managers didn’t have the demonic players for this champion's league nights. But the teams that defeated them didn’t have them also. Zidane lost to Guardiola's Manchester City team. Guardiola lost in a final against one-time champion Chelsea, a familiar foe. Klopp of Liverpool won it thanks to his formidable defense after a shambolic display in 2018.







The next season in 2019 he had to do one of the demonic comebacks against Barcelona at Anfield a fortress for any team. He did that with a demonic player like Origi a player that wasn't a starter and wasn't supposed to be in the game, if not for injuries for some key players. He scored twice in that game and the winning goal in the final. Klopp's attacking trio was good, but they didn't overcome the demonic competition if not for Origi. Klopp will forever be grateful. Chelsea of Tuchel won it without any demonic display from his players. Some say it was luck.







All of these scenarios have highlighted what the demonic competition has been about. Magical players (Messi and Ronaldo), Moments (Origi), Mentality (Tuchel). This shows that in this era of the champions league, you just need one of these to win this competition.

Guardiola and his new teams haven't had any of these. Even his Bayern Munich with the high pressing and possession-based style of football couldn't do it well with established players. This set of players have won it before and after he left. But how can he beat the odds of this demonic competition?







Guardiola has been criticized heavily for being too open in the Champions League. So, what did he do with his team with Manchester City team? He became more cautious, in his first season at Manchester City after a 5-3 first-leg win against Monaco, he became more cautious and he lost 3-1. Which was 6-6 on aggregate, but he lost based on away goal rule. The previous season against Liverpool he became too cautious with control and balanced style of play to avoid a goal galore like Monaco, he lost the first leg 3-0 at Anfield. The same thing keeps happening if he becomes too cautious to balance the game against any chaotic, mentality, magical, moments team or players. He cannot control them, no matter how he tweaks the formation, it is either too much or not enough. [img][/img]



Guardiola city’s team is full of technical and flexible players. Their conversion rate compared to the chances they create is pretty poor, you need direct players for this to work in most case, especially in this era of Champions League. The few direct players in his team have shown they are capable. Kyle Walker and De bruyne are big examples of this and have shown in crucial moments they can be counted on. You need the same number of direct players as technical players, they complement each other in moments and mentality. He got Dias a direct ball-playing defender and made his first champions league final since he left Barcelona, they won both legs against PSG, he was rock solid in that defense, Mahrez a technical player score the



goals at the other end, while the directness and influence of Dias stopped the trio of Di Maria, Neymar, and Mbappe. Do I believe possession and control-based football can win Guardiola his third Champions League? Yes, it is about mixing this sets of players who are the best at what they do. He currently has more technical players than direct players because he needs them for his League dominance. You see, the technical players become magical and they are the sacrifice you make to this competition, the direct players are the ones that defeat the chaos, they fight against it, and they have the mentality just like Tuchel's Chelsea. He lost the final with Manchester City when his best direct player left the pitch, the same thing happens the previous season. When he removed both his best direct and arguable technical players in De bruyne, Walker, and Mahrez and he replaced them with inferior quality in Zinchenko, Fernadinho, Gundogan, and Grealish. And, they blew a goal 2 goal lead in 1 minute against Real Madrid. Pep had no control over that but he made the right decision with bad quality. But in games like this, you need mentality and

chaotic players against the pressure. It is always an open game in a demonic competition. It is a sport, you cannot stop or fully predict it, but I believe you can defy the odds against it many times. You need to be fully focused it will never be easy but you can beat it.



The previous season before the Real Madrid defeat in 2022. He controlled the game and balanced it well. He defeated chaos and got to his first final since 2011. But, his obsession for control made him start a deep playmaker against a chaotic and mentally derived team instead of his versatile; direct, and technical defensive midfielder and it took Chelsea just one moment, just one, a through pass that could have been stopped by his Favourite defensive midfielder Rodrigo and he lost his second final as a manager.







This is personal opinion and view on what the Champions League is all about. Guardiola is used as an example, because he is the manager of the team I support. �

Observing

Well u aren't far from the truth maybe pep underrated madrid or he was unlucky

This is so true. I also am of the opinion that, he was in a hurry to widen the scoreline early on in the game leaving his guard open. Madrid being being club with experience in this league, knows man City to be a ball playing team ,they allowed them to play their football without hindrance, while maintaining their defense. Man City grew in confidence, while leaving their outward flanks open. Real Madrid knew this, using Vinn.jr most of the time, and also carvajal. They kept Vinn.jr and benzema upfront, while others drop deep. Kroos and modric played a more deeper role before they were subbed off.
They waited for man City to buckle, and the chance came when man City scored their first goal. Them came camavinga, a masterstroke of a sub. He delivered long passes to the flanks instead of carvajal, qnd Vinn.jr having to pull the ball up to man city's goal mouth, thereby wasting their pace and attracting man City plated around them. Camavinga did the Job while they stayed up further and wait for the passes to come to them.

All this while man City were always upfield, but when dispossessed Madrid launch the attack from the midfield without having to move with the ball. They instead sent it on errands to both flanks.
Bear in mind, that kroos and modric can do this job too, but it will be suicidal for them to go all about attack in this kind of leg. They instead stayed back to help defend, and hold up, using mainly the flanks all thru those periods, without ever using their midfield!
And if camavinga was also started, their tactics will be caught early by man City, qnd they will capitalise on this too. They instead relied on the experience of modric and kroos to defend. If you notice,late into the game in the extra time, man City used carvajal side to propel their attacks, it was a good try, would have nearly paid off, but they were unlucky.