Man City had winned 19 wins in a row, it’s aura has been restored
Guardiola’s team – favourites to win their first Champions League title this season – were far too good for their meek last-16 opposition in Budapest and perhaps should have added to the first-leg lead given to them by Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus.
City’s ability to buy reinforcements means they rarely get the credit they deserve even when other expensively-assembled squads are floundering.
Guardiola does admit that he could not get his teams playing the football they do without having quality players. But it clearly irks him that the other factors in their success – hard work organisation team spirit and football intelligence – are ignored.
Asked about City’s 19 wins in a row which leaves them one shy of their own record of 20 on the bounce set in 2017 Guardiola had a dollop of truth and a whole lot of sauce in his reply.
“We have a lot of money to buy a lot of incredible players,” was his simple retort.
The City boss added: “In general we played really well but we were not clinical enough up front.
“The actions one against one – with the keeper with the defenders – we have to be more clinical. You have to finish the action at least make the keeper make a save and we didn’t do it.
“We created a lot of chances we arrived in final third the process was good but have to finish better. In this competition you have to improve.
Thus did City cruise their way to a 12th consecutive away win a record for an English top-flight team in all competitions. At which point we should probably point out that both teams were playing away from home here. And as such with no crowd and even the familiar comforts of Borussia Park left behind perhaps Gladbach simply reasoned that an empty Puskas Arena in Budapest may as well be an empty Etihad Stadium in Manchester only at one of them your away goals count for extra.
Jesus’ formidable record – the stats
Man City have progressed from all four of the previous Champions League two-legged knockout ties when they’ve won the first leg away from home.
Gabriel Jesus has scored in all five of his Champions League appearances in the last 16 for Manchester City netting at this stage in each of his last four seasons.
Manchester City are the first team to keep a clean sheet in their first four away Champions League matches in a campaign since Manchester United did so in 2010-11.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden featured in the Champions League knockout stage for a fourth time before turning 21 only the third player to do so in the competition’s history after Cesc Fabregas (2004-05 – 2007-08) and Theo Walcott (2006-07 – 2009-10) who both did so with Arsenal.
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