SWR: Chapter 833/835
Added 2025-06-21 10:34:14 +0000 UTCChapter 833: Put Away
Winning the League Cup didn't have much impact on Manchester City.
Because their current schedule was still extremely tight.
While they were playing in the League Cup final, other Premier League teams had already started their 26th-round fixtures. So, after lifting the trophy, City immediately had to play a makeup match.
They hosted Blackburn and secured a clean 3-0 victory.
The three points brought Manchester City another step closer to securing the Premier League title.
Three days later, in Round 27 of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted Bolton.
The home team rotated again, and thanks to Suarez scoring twice in the 12th and 46th minutes, followed by a penalty in the 51st minute after he was fouled in the box, the Uruguayan completed a hat trick.
In the 69th minute, Sturridge came off the bench to score another goal with ease.
Manchester City beat Bolton 4-0 at home.
There was an upset in this round as Chelsea lost 0-1 away to West Bromwich Albion.
Liverpool defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Anfield, with Kuyt scoring from the penalty spot.
Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 away.
As a result, the battle for the top four in the Premier League this season became more intense than ever.
Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle all still had a chance.
Further down the table, Fulham trailed Newcastle by six points and were unlikely to challenge for a top-four finish.
In terms of relegation, Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, Wolves, Bolton Wanderers, and Wigan Athletic were all within two points of each other, but trailed 15th-placed Aston Villa by eight points.
Barring any surprises, the three relegated teams would come from these five.
It could be said that the Premier League picture had become quite clear.
The title was basically in Manchester City's hands, with Manchester United in second. Then came a fierce battle among five teams for the final two Champions League spots, while the bottom five fought to avoid the drop.
It was worth mentioning that even though Liverpool narrowly beat Arsenal 1-0 at home, BenĂtez's position at Anfield was under serious threat.
Liverpool's general manager, Damien Comolli, was interviewed by reporters after the game. He said that owner John Henry had decided to invest ÂŁ150 million into the club's transfer budget to help return the Reds to the top level of European football.
Comolli stated that Liverpool had big ambitions and would undergo restructuring this summer to boost the team's competitiveness.
The Liverpool Echo reported that this was a signal that a managerial change was coming.
Liverpool were already targeting several players, including Barcelona's defensive midfielder Seydou Keita, Real Madrid's Nuri Sahin, Swansea's Joe Allen, Leeds United winger Adam Lallana, Belgian striker Benteke, and Manchester City's backup forward Daniel Sturridge.
All of them were on Liverpool's transfer list.
Comolli said that this summer, Liverpool would let all of Europe feel their ambition.
Everyone had essentially concluded that Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers would become Liverpool's next head coach.
On March 10, in Premier League Round 28, Manchester City traveled to face Swansea away.
At the start of the match, Manchester City took the initiative to attack. In the sixth minute, Van Persie produced a brilliant lob in the box, finishing with his left foot to open the scoring for the visitors.
1-0!
After that, the game entered a stalemate, especially near the end of the first half, when Manchester City mounted a fierce wave of attacks.
In just five minutes, City created six consecutive chances but failed to convert any.
Rodgers, the future Liverpool head coach, had set up a well-organized defense.
Although Swansea were only 14th in the table, they had conceded just 34 goals in 27 matchesâonly three more than second-placed Everton under Moyesâand had scored 30, three more than Everton.
The two sides eventually reached halftime still separated by a single goal.
Interestingly, Everton were just one point ahead of Swansea.
This was a key reason why Rodgers was highly regarded by Liverpool.
After switching sides in the second half, the deadlock continued until the 56th minute. Yaya Touré played a sharp through ball, Gareth Bale made a diagonal run into the left side of the box, brought it down with his chest, and struck a low left-footed shot to double City's lead.
Later, Van Persie went down in the box again after contact with Joe Allen, but the referee didn't award a penalty or even issue a card. This caused considerable frustration among Manchester City's players.
Swansea pulled one back from a corner in the final moments, but it was too late.
In the end, Manchester City won 2-1 away at Swansea.
At the post-match press conference, Gao Shen stated bluntly that City's focus would now shift to the cup competitions.
"Especially the Champions League. That will be our biggest challenge coming up!"
While Manchester City traveled to Swansea, Spalletti had already brought Zenit St. Petersburg south to Manchester ahead of time to prepare for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 and acclimate to the local weather.
Although temperatures in St. Petersburg were starting to rise, they were still below freezing, while Manchester had already reached double digits.
Spalletti clearly didn't want Manchester City to gain an advantage from the weather.
On the evening of March 14, at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
In the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Manchester City hosted Zenit St. Petersburg.
After the heated battle in St. Petersburg, City returned home with plenty of fire in their bellies. Back at the Etihad, morale was sky-high.
Gao Shen didn't hold anything back and started with his strongest lineup.
Less than two minutes into the game, Robben received a cross from Suarez on the right side of the box. He brought the ball down, beat his defender, and curled a left-footed shot toward the far corner.
Although the goalkeeper managed to save it, the Etihad crowd erupted with cheers and applause. The atmosphere was electric.
After that, Manchester City dominated possession and launched wave after wave of attacks, pinning Zenit deep in their own half.
But Spalletti's team was solid. More importantly, with the Russian Premier League suspended, Zenit had extra time to prepare for this match, and it showed.
The match remained balanced until the 26th minute. Robben, on the right flank, feinted to the byline, suddenly stopped, cut inside, and passed the ball to the right side of the penalty spot.
Suarez received it with his back to goal, stopped the ball, stepped back, and spun around to shoot.
The ball passed under the defender and flew straight into the bottom right corner of the net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
The cheers of Manchester City fans roared around the Etihad!
Gao Shen raised both arms high in celebration, looking over at Spalletti with a provocative grin.
This bald Italian had given him plenty of trouble in the first leg. Now it was Gao Shen's turn.
Spalletti caught Gao Shen's smug expression, curled his lip, and turned away in disdain.
The game resumed.
Manchester City kept pressing and created numerous chances.
Playing at home, backed by the fans, the team looked sharp and energetic. Zenit struggled to cope with the intensity.
In the first 30 minutes, Manchester City had already taken ten shots. Zenit were under immense pressure.
In first-half stoppage time, Javi MartĂnez surged forward from near the center circle, intercepted a loose pass, and immediately played it to David Silva before sprinting upfield.
David Silva understood the move and laid it off, allowing MartĂnez to charge forward with long strides.
This unexpected run caught Zenit's defenders off guard. Two midfielders tried to close him down, but MartĂnez didn't follow conventional logic. Before reaching the box, he unleashed a long-range shot.
The sudden strike caught the goalkeeper by surprise. He got a hand to it but couldn't hold it.
Suarez, lurking nearby, reacted first, chased the rebound in the box, and tapped it into the open net.
Brace!
The Uruguayan grinned, flashing his signature rabbit-like front teeth, while backpedaling and pointing across the pitch at Javi MartĂnez.
At that moment, the Spanish midfielder must have been fuming.
Put away those damn teeth!
I finally had a chance to show off my footwork, and you stole the moment!
Manchester City entered halftime with a two-goal advantage.
After the restart, City shifted to a more controlled approach and didn't press as hard as in the first half.
But in the 55th minute, they seized another opportunity.
Once again, it was Javi MartĂnez who won the ball near midfield. This time, after receiving the ball, David Silva chose to dribble forward himself. He then played a diagonal pass to the left edge of the penalty area for Gareth Bale.
The Welshman burst into the box, stopped the ball, swung his leg, and fired toward the far corner.
But perhaps aiming too precisely, the shot was deflected by the goalkeeper.
Suarez, originally near the penalty spot, suddenly appeared on the right side of the six-yard box, chasing the rebound and calmly slotting it into the open net with the inside of his foot.
Hat trick!
Suarez was ecstatic!
The entire Etihad was chanting his name.
On the sidelines, Gao Shen wore a helpless smile. Should he praise Suarez's instinctive movement, or his ridiculous luck?
Three goals, two rebounds, and a poacher's instinct. What more could you ask for?
After his hat trick, Gao Shen substituted him off for Giroud.
Then, in the 93rd minute, the final moment of stoppage time, Giroud headed down a diagonal cross from Felipe on the left to Gareth Bale.
This time, the Welshman made no mistake, smashing the ball into the bottom left corner from close range with his left foot.
4-0!
That goal sealed the victory for Manchester City.
In the end, Manchester City defeated Zenit St. Petersburg 4-0, with a hat trick from Suarez and a goal from Bale. They advanced with a 5-1 aggregate score.
After the match, Gao Shen stood smiling in front of a visibly frustrated Spalletti.
The kind of look I enjoy the mostâwhen you can't stand me, but you can't do anything about it.
(To be continued.)
Chapter 834: Battle with Barcelona
At noon the day after the match against Zenit St. Petersburg, the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. It was hosted by UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino and attended by Breitner, ambassador for the final venue, the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
The draw followed the usual rules. All eight teams were randomly drawn.
At the same time, the bracket for the semi-finals was also determined.
Before the draw, Guardiola had already told the media, following Barcelona's second-leg win in the Round of 16, that he wasn't too concerned about who they would draw in the quarter-finals.
If he had a preference, though, he said he hoped to avoid facing Manchester City so soon.
"Gao Shen is one of the greatest head coaches in football history. We're very good friends. They're top of the Premier League and just won a domestic cup. Over the past year, his team has won multiple titles. Right now, they're the best team in European football.
"Yes, we're one of the best too.
"So I don't think it's a good idea for the two best teams to meet this early."
Catalan media revealed one of the reasons Guardiola wanted to avoid Manchester City was that their left-back, Abidal, had suffered a relapse of liver cancer.
After undergoing surgery last year, Abidal had made a miraculous comeback that won widespread admiration. But just a few days ago, he was diagnosed with a recurrence and required a liver transplant. This severely disrupted Guardiola's rotation plans.
With Abidal unavailable, Barcelona were left with only Peruvian full-back Juan Vargas to cover the left side.
Despite his personal feelings, fate had other plans.
Out of the seven possible opponents, Manchester City were drawn against Barcelona.
The other quarter-final tie in the same half of the bracket was Manchester United versus Benfica.
When the draw results were revealed, Barcelona's technical director Zubizarreta was interviewed on site.
He described the clash between Barcelona and Manchester City as "a collision between Mars and Earth."
"The draw won't change anything. We can only accept it calmly."
"Guardiola did say he didn't want to face Manchester City, but in the end, we drew them. I think that's just fate. No opponent in the quarter-finals is going to be easy."
"Of course, we hope to reach the Champions League final again. We've been in the last three consecutive finals."
"But to do that, we need to get past this round first."
According to the draw, Barcelona would host the first leg at Camp Nou, then travel to Manchester for the second leg. Zubizarreta believed this would give them an edge.
"To be honest, we have a certain psychological advantage at Camp Nou."
"I know, I know, many people will point out that we've faced Gao Shen's teams in two of the last three Champions League finals and lost both times, winning only once."
"But this time is different. This is a knockout tie, not a one-off final."
"We'll get the upper hand at home."
"We're confident. We never fear any opponent at Camp Nou, and this time will be no different."
Manchester City CEO Gary Cook also attended the draw. In an interview, he admitted that drawing Barcelona wasn't ideal, but still manageable for City.
"Barcelona are clearly the strongest side we could've drawn, but for us, it doesn't matter who we play."
Cook revealed that before leaving for Switzerland, he called head coach Gao Shen to ask his thoughts on the draw.
"He just replied with three words: 'All the same.'"
They could talk tough in front of the cameras, but once the draw was confirmed, Gao Shen and his coaching staff took things very seriously.
The coaching team immediately pulled together footage of Barcelona's recent matches, especially the second leg against Leverkusen in the Round of 16. In that match, played without Abidal, Barcelona thrashed Leverkusen 7-1 at Camp Nou.
Abidal was absent, with Vargas filling in.
Messi was in sensational form in that match, scoring five goals. But his positioning on the pitch was somewhat unusual.
That was mainly because Guardiola had started Fabregas.
Barcelona's front three in that match were AgĂŒero, Messi, and Fabregas.
But their roles were interesting. All three concentrated on central and inside channels, leaving the flanks open.
Of course, AgĂŒero and Messi, with their individual abilities, could move wide at any moment and cause problems on the wings.
But most of the time, they focused their movement in the middle and half-spaces, forming quick combinations in tight areas.
"There were eight goals in that match," said chief analyst Carlos Vargas with a wry smile, spreading his hands, "but actually not that many shots. Barcelona had 18, and Leverkusen just one."
The gap in quality between the two teams was massive.
Barcelona had nearly 80% possession, while Leverkusen had just over 20%.
In terms of passes, Barcelona made nearly four times as many as Leverkusen. The pass success rate was 90% for Barcelona and 70% for Leverkusen.
In all offensive and build-up stats, Leverkusen were thoroughly outclassed.
"Look at the shooting map and passing networks," said assistant coach Carlo.
Carlos Vargas immediately brought up the relevant data, showing Barcelona's 18 shot locations and a web of over a thousand passes. The visuals resembled a dense spiderweb.
Against Leverkusen, Barcelona didn't even need to field all their starters. They had already won 3-1 away in the first leg.
Still, Guardiola fielded a strong lineup, particularly in midfield and defense, with Messi and AgĂŒero leading the attack.
It was clear he was trying to build tactics around Fabregas.
As a result, Alexis SĂĄnchez was dropped.
Whether it was SĂĄnchez, AgĂŒero, and Messi before, or AgĂŒero, Messi, and Fabregas now, Barcelona's tactical style remained the sameâthey rarely delivered low crosses from the byline.
There was logic behind it.
Threatening crosses require breaking through the opponent's defensive line and playing the ball accurately in front of goal. That's not easy.
In most cases, crossing from the byline is inefficient.
Especially for a team like Barcelona that lacks a traditional center-forward.
So they preferred quick passing and combination play in tight areas.
While the passing patterns looked chaotic, there was method in the madness.
If you isolated the most threatening passes, you'd find they were concentrated in the central zones and half-spaces, with very few going wide.
Even when full-backs Vargas and Dani Alves pushed forward, they rarely went all the way to the touchline.
The areas near the corner flag and outside the box were strangely empty.
Carlo and the rest of the staff analyzed Barcelona's tactics in detail, including strengths and weaknesses, based on their matches against Leverkusen and others.
Gao Shen sat through it all, silently spinning a pen between his fingers.
Interestingly, the pen never fell, no matter how he spun it.
They said he'd developed that skill over the last twenty years.
"Gao, what do you think?" Carlo asked when he felt it was time.
Everyone turned to look at him.
They were used to this quiet but intense meeting style.
He looked like he was just spinning a pen, but in truth, he was analyzing, processing, and listening closely.
"The match against Leverkusen was another of Guardiola's tricks, probably meant for us."
As he said this, Gao Shen chuckled.
He wasn't bragging. He genuinely believed that's what Guardiola had in mind.
"I don't know if you noticed, but in another game, he used three defenders."
Everyone immediately looked at Carlos Vargas, who nodded, "Yes, in one league match. Puyol, Thiago Motta, and Piqué formed a back three. Juan Vargas didn't play. Sånchez and Dani Alves played as wing-backs. It looked like a 3-4-2-1."
AgĂŒero didn't start up front. Instead, Fabregas and Iniesta were the second line behind the striker.
In short, Guardiola had been experimenting with ways to integrate Fabregas into Barcelona's systemâwhether by playing 3-4-3, 4-3-3, or using Fabregas as a false nine.
There was logic behind it.
It wasn't even a secret anymore. The mobility of Barcelona's midfield was declining.
Xavi was already 32 and couldn't cover the same ground or press as aggressively as before.
Iniesta and Messi had similar issues.
Everyone knew that as Barcelona's midfield lost mobility, their control over games would decline.
So, what was the solution?
The simplest one was to add another player.
What used to be done by three could now be handled by fourâby adding Fabregas.
This was especially useful in high-stakes matches.
In the Leverkusen match, Barcelona had nearly 80% possession, and Leverkusen managed just one shot.
Can you imagine that?
Actually, Leverkusen did try more than once. They attempted five long-range efforts, but none were recorded as shots because they were blocked before leaving the edge of the area.
An overwhelming advantage, in the Champions League Round of 16 no less.
"I'm thinking now, Guardiola might not even use a back four. He could go with a back three," said Gao Shen.
Everyone looked around in surprise.
Carlo forced a smile and shook his head. "Do the two of you really have to torture us like this?"
The others also smiled bitterly.
A tactical showdown between Gao Shen and Guardiola was always full of intrigue.
But to put it another way, this came down to Guardiola's own lack of confidence.
"I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't overthink things like he does. I know exactly how to beat Barcelona!"
Gao Shen's tone was calm, confident, and resolute.
(To be continued.)
Chapter 835: We Are Different This Time
In his previous life, Gao Shen had read a passage in Guardiola's autobiography, Another Way to Victory.
Ferguson had once told Guardiola that it was best not to manage a team for more than four years.
Many people might scoff at that.
Damn, this old guy Ferguson isn't being fair. He coached Manchester United for decades, but he told Guardiola not to manage a team for more than four years? Isn't that ridiculous?
But in truth, this criticism of Ferguson isn't fair.
If you look at it more deeply, Ferguson's point wasn't just about managers. What he meant was that a group of players shouldn't be together for more than four years.
This logic isn't unique to football. It also exists in corporate management.
Freshness.
When someone has been in the same position for more than four years, even if they've mastered their work, they lose freshness. That lack of stimulation leads to a loss of passion, and their work becomes mechanical and repetitive.
That's true for individuals, and even more so for groups.
The final result for a team is that something feels inexplicably off.
The players are still the same. The tactics are still the same. But the team's overall performance keeps declining.
People will offer all sorts of explanationsâfatigue, loss of hunger, lack of motivation.
But no matter what you do, nothing changes.
When that happens, the team usually has two options: restructure or change the coach.
Take Klopp's Dortmund as an example.
Many say Klopp was sacked because his high-intensity tactics burned out his players. That's not entirely wrongâbut it's not the whole picture either.
The real reason?
That team had hit its ceiling.
Everyone, including Klopp, could see it clearly. There was no room left to grow.
From reaching the Champions League final in 2013 and losing to Bayern, to being eliminated by Real Madrid in the 2014 quarter-finals, everyone at Dortmund knew: without strengthening, they weren't going any further.
That realization is terrifying.
It spreads like a virus.
It's like a person who sees no hope. They fall into despair and give up.
So, what we saw in the end was a completely different Dortmund.
And that was no accident.
The reason Ferguson could manage Manchester United for so many years was because, whenever he sensed a downturn, he decisively restructured the team.
That's why United rebuilt every few years.
This applies not just to top clubs but to mid- and lower-tier teams as well.
In the 2013-14 season, Southampton finished eighth in the Premier Leagueâa strong result. But there wasn't much room for further improvement.
A core group of players had been together since League One. Some joined in the Championship. They were very familiar with each other. When Pochettino led the team to success, he left for Tottenham.
At that point, Southampton carried out a major squad overhaul.
If you look closely at their moves that summer, you'll notice they didn't actually make a big profit.
They earned over ÂŁ110 million in transfer fees by selling players like Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana, but spent over ÂŁ87 million bringing in ManĂ©, Shane Long, TadiÄ, PellĂš, and others.
This doesn't even include internal contract renewals and increased wage costs.
Southampton's recruitment was very professional, but that didn't mean they were flawless. Several high-fee transfers failed to meet expectations.
However, players like ManĂ©, TadiÄ, PellĂš, and Bertrand performed well. So, people quickly forgot the ones who flopped.
Through this reshuffling, Southampton's performance even improvedâuntil they hit their next ceiling.
On the other hand, if they had kept Pochettino and the original core, that would've been a different strategyârelying on small, targeted reinforcements to lift the team to the next level.
But that approach carries risk. Can the existing players maintain their previous performance?
Will the new players match expectations?
This depends on a club's ability to handle riskâespecially financial risk.
Some might ask, what if we just stay put? Don't sell, don't buy?
That doesn't work.
Countless examples have proven that stagnation leads nowhere.
Take Manchester City this season. Gao Shen didn't bring in any new signings. He only sold Adam Lallana.
But when the season began, Gao Shen constantly adjusted his starting lineup, rotated players, and experimented with different playing styles. All of this relied on the elite individual qualities of the City squad and their incredible bench depth.
What other Premier League team could afford to do that?
The reason for mentioning all this is simple: Barcelona is now stuck.
In La Liga, they're still dominant. They could win matches with their eyes closed.
In the Champions League, their performances are still strong, and their playing style hasn't changed.
The players are the same. The midfield trio of Xavi, Busquets, and Iniesta remains untouchable. The defense is Puyol and Piqué, with Alves and Vargas. Up front, it's the same trident.
It's been several years, and nothing has changed.
And now, Barcelona's mobility is visibly declining.
Is it just physical?
Sure, Xavi is 32. Maybe he can't run like before. But what about Messi and Iniesta?
To put it bluntly, it's a lack of freshness, of stimulation, of excitement.
Why do men who marry beautiful wives still cheat?
Because they're bored. They want a thrill.
The more successful a professional footballer is, the higher their threshold for motivation. The harder it is to get them going.
That's why many top players fight like mad before they've won anything.
But once they've reached the top, their form often collapses.
It's human nature.
You see the same thing in the entertainment industry, in finance, among high achievers. The weirder their behavior gets, the more they're chasing new sensations.
Compared to Barcelona, Manchester City is in a much better state.
Internal competition is fierce. No one can afford to slack off.
Slip up for even a moment, and you lose your spot.
With Gao Shen constantly pushing the squad, making bold promises, and dishing out motivational speeches, how could anyone lose their edge?
In Gao Shen's eyes, that's City's biggest advantage over Barcelona.
The weekend after the Champions League draw, the Premier League entered Round 29. But Manchester City's home match against Chelsea was postponed to the following Wednesday because they had an FA Cup fixture over the weekend.
In the FA Cup quarter-finals, Manchester City hosted Stoke City.
Gao Shen rotated his lineup, and the team won 2-1 thanks to goals from Suarez and Gareth Bale.
Crouch scored for Stoke.
The tall Englishman netted an unorthodox goal that left City's defenders stunned.
With that win, Manchester City advanced to the semi-finals, where they would face Everton at home.
A favorable draw.
Midweek, in Round 29 of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted Chelsea.
Di Matteo adopted a defensive setup away from home, while City heavily rotated their squad.
The match was tight, but City controlled the ball and gradually asserted themselves in the second half.
First, Van Persie punished an error from Essien to open the scoring.
Then, in the 85th minute, Sturridge came off the bench and set up Hazard to double the lead.
In the end, Manchester City beat Chelsea 2-0 at home.
That weekend brought Round 30 of the Premier League.
Having just played Stoke in the FA Cup, City would face them again in the league one week later.
Crouch again scored for Stoke.
The big man caused serious problems for City's defense.
Fortunately, Manchester City equalized in the second half. Yaya Touré's goal earned a 1-1 draw away from home.
After the match, Gao Shen led the team back to Manchester overnight.
The focus immediately shifted to preparations for the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Camp Nou.
For Gao Shen, the match against Barcelona was the real focus. The other games were just warm-ups.
After two weeks of analysis and preparation, Gao Shen and his coaching staff had a complete game plan for facing Barcelona. Gao Shen, in particular, had always known how he wanted to approach it. He just needed to fine-tune the details.
Three days after returning to Manchester, the team departed again, this time for a long journey to Barcelona.
This was Gao Shen's first return to Camp Nou since leaving Real Madrid.
Their previous two meetings with Barcelona were in Champions League finals. This time, it was the quarter-finals.
As Barcelona technical director Zubizarreta said, this time is different.
Yes, very different.
Gao Shen felt that this time, he could truly go all in.
It was an away match. So what? Who was afraid of whom?
The Champions League knockout stage has the away goals rule, which restricts the home team and encourages the visitors to attack.
So in these ties, the away side often plays more aggressively.
In the final, Gao Shen had to be cautious and couldn't go head-to-head with Barcelona.
But this was different. If Barcelona wanted a shootout, Gao Shen would be more than happy to oblige.
If it came down to a goal-fest, who would score more? That remained to be seen.
The Catalan media were nervous.
From what they remembered, Barcelona had never beaten a team coached by Gao Shen.
The earliest clash dated back to 2006, when Gao Shen had just made his debut. Then there were two Champions League finals. Barcelona had lost all of them.
This time, they hoped Guardiola's team could finally get revenge at Camp Nou.
(To be continued.)
