Manchester City F.C. - the champions wanting more

Although Manchester City Football Club is doing really well under charismatic manager Pep Guardiola, fans’ ambitions and hunger for success are even bigger than that. With the club securing top position in EPL thanks to Manchester United latest mishap, everyone expected it could be just as good in Champions League. Unfortunately, those plans have to be put away until another chance comes along.

It was not too long after the 2017/18 Premier League season started that it had become quite certain for many experts and supporters that Manchester City is a strong contender to win the title. Sports media were praising the Citizens’ performance and the solid foundations the team stood upon. Even gambling sites, including the big pokernews.com portal, had something to say about how likely it would be for them to take over the league, and achieve some great results in Europe. It was only fitting, because last Tuesday it came the time our team needed just that – a little gamble, a leap of faith.

It is safe to say that at certain point Manchester City was perceived as a main candidate to stand up against European hegemony of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. However, after a disappointing result of Champions League first leg at Anfield Road, we ended up losing three and not being able to score the single away goal that could become an anchor to build a successful comeback upon. It was a harsh clash with reality but no one was going to give up just yet. In fact, players’ attitude could not have been better. With confidence in their offensive abilities, the players attacked the opposition since the very start which quickly paid out. Gabriel Jesus’ early goal put us on the edge of our seats, and made us hoping for the best. Then Leroy Sane scored before the end of halftime and referee’s decision took that away… But let’s not relive it. The fact is, regardless of what could have been, we have to accept that Liverpool played very well and earned the place in semi-finals.

To say Jurgen Klopp’s side has been a real pain in the neck for our guys this season would be an understatement. Although it started with big home win back in September, they were ultimately the ones who denied City a shot at the unbelievable Arsenal’s record of being unbeaten in all the league games (2003/2004), and providing us with the first defeat in this competition. Between the Liverpool matches came the embarrassing home defeat against José Mourinho’s Manchester United, after our derby rivals were down two goals. In the bigger context, it was just one game in a long and demanding campaign. Nevertheless, recent domestic opposition unmercifully exploited our weakest spots and made us a little more doubtful about Guardiola’s vision.

I’m sure those feelings will fade away once we’ll get the full grasp of becoming the champions. Then, after proper celebration, we could fully focus on the future squad reinforcements to make sure we face the next challenges in the best possible way, which is certainly something Pep Guardiola is thinking about already.