In house drama and tension yesterday in Manchester City’s 2-1 win at home over Leeds United. After Ilkay Gundogan bagged a brace, to put City up 2-0, City was awarded a penalty.
The team’s designated penalty taker, Erling Haaland, defied the orders of his manager, Pep Guardiola, and handed the opportunity to Gundogan. This infuriated Guardiola, and the situation worsened when Gundogan missed the spot kick.
Manchester City at Real Madrid FYIs
Kickoff: Tue May 9, 8pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
Competition: UCL Semifinals, Leg 1/2
Team News: Real Madrid Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Real Madrid Manchester City
Draw: Real Madrid 31% Manchester City 44% Extra Time 25%
“If Gundo scores everyone is ‘OK, hat trick, well done,'” Pep said after the win.
“But a taker is a taker. At 2-0, this is a business, not a situation where we cannot forget it.”
Gundogan gave his take on the situation to BBC Sport after the match.
“First he showed to Erling that he was quite mad about that, and then also he had a go at me,” he said.
“The moment Erling grabbed the ball, I was sure he was going to take it but he looked out for me. I checked with him a few times to make sure he was sure. He was certain to hand the ball to me. I was confident to score.”
No real time to dwell on that now though- time to move on already. Real Madrid and the Champions League semifinals awaits. So with that in mind, let’s look ahead and focus on who the first team could be for Pep Guardiola in this titanic clash.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction at Real Madrid (UCL)
Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Laporte, Stones: Rodri, Gundogan; Silva, Alvarez, Grealish; Haaland
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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