Guardiola’s curse in the Champions League

Double winner of the Champions League with FC Barcelona (2009, 2011), Josep Guardiola has since had disappointments with Bayern Munich and Manchester City and has failed to put his name on the list for the third time in his career. Before the final between the Citizens and Inter Milan, this Saturday in Istanbul, a look back at the many disappointments experienced by the Spanish coach in C1.

2013-2014 season: Real Madrid as executioner

Inducted in the summer of 2013 as new coach of Bayern Munich, Josep Guardiola led the German club to the semi-finals of the Champions League for his first season on the bench, and an elimination without possible challenge against Real Madrid (5- 0 over both games). Fallers of Arsenal in the round of 16 and Manchester United in the quarter-finals, Thomas Müller’s teammates lost at Santiago-Bernabeu in the first leg against Carlo Ancelotti’s men (0-1), before taking the broth on the return to the Allianz Arena (0-4) on two doubles from Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo.

2014-2015 season: another failure in the semi-finals

Bis repeated for Bayern Munich. Like the previous season, the Germans yielded in the semi-finals of the 2015 Champions League. After a solid qualification against the Ukrainians of Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 16, the Bavarian club overthrew the Portuguese of FC Porto in the quarter-finals – defeat 3 -1 in Portugal and 6-1 success in Germany. But FC Barcelona, ​​future winner, ended its journey at the gates of the final. Humiliated 3-0 at Camp Nou, the Munich won for the honor in the return (3-2) on goals from Medhi Benatia, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller.

2015-2016 season: a victory for nothing against Atletico

For his third and final exercise with Bayern Munich, “Pep” led his troops in the last four of the Champions League for the third consecutive year. After Real Madrid in 2014 and FC Barcelona in 2015, it was another cador of the Spanish championship who stopped the course of the Germans, Atletico Madrid. Qualified at the expense of Juventus Turin in the round of 16 then Benfica Lisbon in the quarter-finals, the Munich residents lost in the first leg on the smallest of marks against the players of Diego Simeone (0-1), in Spain. A week later, the hosts won 2-1 through Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski, but Antoine Griezmann’s away goal still eliminated Franck Ribéry’s teammates at the gates of the final.

2016-2017 season: the Monegasque flop

Appointed Manchester City coach in August 2016 in place of Manuel Pellegrini, Josep Guardiola immediately suffered a huge disappointment in the Champions League. After a difficult group stage concluded in second place in group C behind FC Barcelona, ​​Kevin De Bruyne’s partners crossed paths with AS Monaco in the round of 16, a club from the Rock on its first side in group E. Against the teammates of Kylian Mbappé and Bernardo Silva, the Citizens signed a spectacular victory at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg (5-3), thanks in particular to a double from Sergio Agüero. A success nevertheless insufficient, the formation of the Rock creating the sensation in Louis-II on the return (3-1), despite an achievement by Leroy Sané, leaving the Mancunians in the game of goals scored on the outside.

2017-2018 season: Liverpool broth

The 2018 edition still ended precipitously for Manchester City. A year after the Monaco fiasco, this time it was Liverpool who put an end to the career of Josep Guardiola’s players. Passed at the expense of the Swiss FC Basel in the round of 16, with an inconsequential defeat on the return to the Etihad Stadium (1-2), the English suffered the domination of the Reds of Jürgen Klopp at the quarter-final stage. Humiliated at Anfield (3-0), Raheem Sterling’s partners failed to raise their heads on the return and lost again against Mohamed Salah’s teammates (1-2), despite Gabriel’s quick opener Jesus.

2018-2019 season: Tottenham’s feat

A year after Liverpool, another Premier League rival took the scalp of Manchester City in the Champions League. The executioner was called Tottenham, an unfortunate future finalist against Liverpool. In the round of 16, the Citizens passed without possible challenge at the expense of the Germans of Schalke 04 (10-2 over the two matches). Before another disappointment in the quarter-finals against Spurs by Mauricio Pochettino. Dominated on the smallest of marks in London (0-1), Manchester City offered their supporters a victory that remained in the annals (4-3), on a double from Raheem Sterling and goals from Bernardo Silva and Sergio Agüero . Perfect equality on this double confrontation but as against Monaco two years earlier, the English juggernaut fell by the wayside because of the away goals rule. The goal denied to Sterling by the VAR in the last minutes will have been difficult to digest…

2019-2020 season: the OL sensation

Favorite for a new coronation, Manchester City fell to general surprise against Olympique Lyonnais in the quarter-finals of the 2019-2020 edition, concluded in the summer with a “Final Four” in Lisbon due to the coronavirus epidemic. coronavirus. Real Madrid fallers in the round of 16, the English suffered the law of Gones by Rudi Garcia in a dry match (1-3). Despite a goal from Kevin De Bruyne, the 2020 English vice-champion gave in on a goal from Maxwel Cornet and a double from Moussa Dembélé. A new elimination even before the semi-finals like a year before against Tottenham, despite a spectacular success in the return against the partners of Hugo Lloris.

2020-2021 season: the end of the dream against Chelsea

Josep Guardiola had to wait for his fifth season on the Manchester City bench to finally reach the semi-finals and even the final of the Champions League with the English club. Fallouts of Borussia Mönchengladbach in the round of 16, Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals and Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, with six victories in six games, the troops of “Pep” challenged Chelsea in the final, Blues trained for some time. months by the German Thomas Tuchel and defeated Real Madrid in the previous round. At the Dragon stadium in Porto, Riyad Mahrez’s partners lost 1-0 to a single goal from Kai Havertz in the 42nd minute of play. One more disappointment at the end of a course so far without false note .

2021-2022 season: Madrid’s “uplift”

Last season, Manchester City surrendered in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Real Madrid, winner a few weeks later of the 14th C1 in its history at the expense of Liverpool. After a solid qualification against Sporting Portugal in the round of 16, a 1-0 victory in the first leg was enough to advance to the quarter-finals against Atletico Madrid. After the Colchoneros, the Merengue of Carlo Ancelotti presented themselves against the Citizens in a final before the hour. Played at the Etihad Stadium, the first leg ended with an anthology victory for the locals (4-3), on the achievements of Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva. A week later, the visitors took a two-step lead on a goal from Riyad Mahrez, but the White House signed an improbable “comeback” and passed after extra time (3-1) on a double from Rodrygo Goes and Karim Benzema’s qualifying goal.

Twelve years after his last coronation, will Guardiola finally put an end to his curse in LdC this Saturday?