England icons tear into Guardiola’s tactics, putting Real Madrid in driver’s seat – ‘Match is finished’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Manchester City in the Champions League left Pep Guardiola deeply affected, as was evident during his post-match press conference.

His team had been leading 2-1 until the 80th minute, only to collapse in the final stages of the game. This kind of late-game failure has been a recurring theme in what has turned out to be a highly disappointing season for the English side.

The Cityzens’ inability to maintain focus played a major role in Real Madrid’s victory. Both of Madrid’s late goals came as a direct result of costly errors—one from goalkeeper Ederson and another from young defender Rico Lewis.

Against a team like Madrid, such mistakes rarely go unpunished, especially in the Champions League, where they have built a reputation for capitalising on their opponents’ weaknesses.

Wayne Rooney’s reaction

Pep Guardiola has received the heat. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Following the match, several English football legends were highly critical of Guardiola and his team. Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney was one of them, pointing out that City showed a lack of maturity, particularly in the closing minutes of the game.

He suggested that the players seemed unsure of themselves and failed to take the necessary steps to see out the match when leading.

“There was a lot of naivety on the part of Manchester City, especially at the end of the game. The players were looking at each other, almost not believing in each other, and I think that’s something that worries Guardiola,” he said.

According to him, a team in City’s position should have been more cautious, keeping possession in safe areas and resetting their structure rather than allowing Madrid opportunities to strike back.

“When you’re beating Real Madrid 2-1 and you have a game ahead of you at the Bernabeu, you have to say ‘let’s be sensible’, let them have the ball in their half, reset,” he added.

Praise for Ancelotti

Rooney also highlighted how impressive Madrid’s victory was, given the defensive crisis they faced heading into the match.

Carlo Ancelotti had to make do without several key defenders, including Eder Militao, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, and Lucas Vazquez.

Wayne Rooney praised Carlo Ancelotti. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Despite these absences, Madrid managed to hold their own against City’s dangerous attacking players, including Erling Haaland, which made their comeback even more remarkable.

Alan Shearer’s take

Another English football legend, Alan Shearer, also shared his doubts about City’s chances of turning the tie around.

He suggested that had the match ended 2-2, there might have been some hope left, but with Madrid now in control, it would take something extraordinary for City to overturn the result.

In his view, the confidence in Guardiola’s squad has taken a massive hit, and while the tie is not completely over, Madrid now have a clear advantage going into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“With a 2-2 win, there would still be hope, but it would be an absolute miracle if Real Madrid didn’t go through now. Manchester City’s confidence must be totally destroyed. It’s almost finished, not quite, but almost,” he said.

Source: SPORT