“Here, has to be the game”, Guardiola said, tapping his forehead twice to underline what his players need to bear in mind.
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Just think back to when City have played some of their best football this season, and certainly their most Guardiola football, and which players they had in their team. They were outstanding in the first half, all over City like a rash. “I’ll never forget how they take care of me and give me everything”, he said. “Not up to our standard in the first half”. “We want to be an aggressive team with and without the ball”.
“We thought the second half didn’t reflect the full scoreline”.
Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling were the sole bright spots for the Sky Blues and the two combined to score a goal which changed the complexion of the tie in the 71st minute.
Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are also reportedly keeping an eye on the 18-year-old Mbappe. When a player is missing, the replacements come into the team without us losing any quality.
That put City in front on aggregate, but Monaco, who eliminated Manchester United in the quarter-finals in 1998 and Chelsea in the semis in 2004, turned the tie back in their favour when Bakayoko headed home from a Thomas Lemar free kick. He has said his maiden City season will be a failure if he can not deliver a trophy, but barring a dramatic Chelsea collapse in the Premier League, the Spaniard’s only realistic hope of silverware is now the FA Cup.
Pep Guardiola’s men couldn’t mount another comeback and went out on away goals, 6-6 on aggregate. Frankly, under the leadership of Pellegrini “citizens” played much better, although they could not achieve great victories.
“The competition is so demanding”. The final eight teams will fight out for a place in the final-four now in the quarterfinals.
“What he does at his age is just huge”, said former France and Monaco winger Ludovic Giuly. “We weren’t solid enough”.
The future of Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, may still be unclear, but the club’s scouts are already looking for players, who can strengthen their squad for next season.
They conceded silly free-kicks and when De Bruyne pulled down Fabinho, Monaco had a chance.
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Aleksandar Kolarov, the left-back Guardiola has attempted to convert into a centre-half this season, told RTÉ Sport’s Tony O’Donoghue: “We knew that in this stage it was very important to not concede a goal from set-prices and we knew that before the game”.
