The last thing Pep Guardiola told his players before humiliating Madrid

Pep Guardiola was in a state of absolute calm ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid. The Catalan coach was proud to have made it this far again in the continental competition and of his legacy at the Etihad Stadium. "We've had a great time these seven years," he told the media in an appearance in which he pointed out that, to reach the final, all his players had to do was "play as they have done so far".

This Thursday, a few hours after the 'citizen' drubbing, Joan Patsy, the 'eyes' of Guardiola and Manchester City in South America, revealed on 'RAC1' the last thing the coach from Santpedor said to his players before the game at the Etihad Stadium: "Do you want to reach the final of the Champions League? The response from the dressing room was unanimous: "Yes". "Are you sure?" insisted Pep. On rechecking the determination of his players, he was blunt: "Well, you know what you have to do."

Guardiola's plan worked to perfection. Not only emotionally, but also in terms of football. "The difference between the first leg and the second is that at the Bernabeu we put an interior midfielder further back and today we put him further forward," said the former Barça coach after Manchester City qualified for the final. On 10 June, in Istanbul, the English side will have another chance to finally lift their first Champions League title.