Manchester Metropolis are midway by means of arguably probably the most tough season of Pep Guardiola’s reign on the Etihad, with Sunday’s 5-1 loss at Arsenal leaving them fifth within the Premier League.
Now they host Actual Madrid on Tuesday within the first leg of the play-off spherical, needing to defeat the reigning European champions to even make it to the final 16.
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Actual Madrid beat Manchester Metropolis within the quarter-finals of final season’s Champions League, however Guardiola’s facet had been European kings themselves in 2023, and former Blues winger Shaun Wright-Phillips thinks they’re nonetheless nicely able to making progress this time round.
In the event that they try this, he isn’t ruling out a cost to the trophy, on condition that Metropolis are historically at their strongest within the remaining months of a season.
Actual Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
“Something’s attainable, that’s the most effective factor about soccer,” Wright-Phillips instructed FFT.
“In case you take a look at Metropolis during the last 4 years of being within the Champions League, they’ve by no means actually had a simple path to the Champions League remaining and so they’ve appeared to discover a manner.
“In fact this 12 months is barely completely different when it comes to the place their performances have been at, and the errors they’ve been making that targets have come from. However there’s at all times a manner, you by no means know.
“In the event that they do beat Actual Madrid, which I believe they probably may do, which may kick-start them to go on a type of runs once more.
“It is going to be an attention-grabbing recreation as a result of Actual Madrid are with out key gamers, particularly within the again line. Metropolis additionally haven’t acquired Rodri and also you don’t know which defenders are going to be match.
“But when they will take the probabilities that they are going to likely make, it will likely be an issue for Actual Madrid.”
Wright-Phillips on De Bruyne’s future
Kevin De Bruyne (Picture credit score: Michael Regan/Getty Photographs)
Kevin De Bruyne has been a key man for Manchester Metropolis ever since his arrival on the Etihad in 2015, however his contract is at present resulting from expire on the finish of this season.
At 33, he’s had a tough marketing campaign that was interrupted by damage early on, and he was solely an alternative to the defeat at Arsenal.
“Me personally, I’d maintain him and I believe the membership wish to maintain him, there are most likely just some minor particulars that they wish to iron out,” Wright-Phillips mentioned, talking in affiliation with BetVictor .
Omar Marmoush (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
“I don’t assume a membership like Man Metropolis would wish to half methods not solely with the individual on the pitch however the individual away from the pitch, who’s most likely huge for the dressing room.
“I actually hope he does keep, as a result of with the opposite gamers they’ve introduced in like Omar Marmoush, they’re now ready the place they may give Kevin the remaining that he wants, in order that when he does play, he’s enjoying on the stage everyone needs to see.
“It’s been a difficult season for him typically with the damage, and it’s been the identical for fairly a number of gamers, not numerous them have had a very good run of video games again to again – they’ve been protected due to the quantity of accidents they’ve had.
“As a participant typically you want these again to again video games to get to that stage of efficiency and peak health, acting at a excessive depth.”
