Guardiola and co have to score to settle against manager, now coaching Bayern
\n MANCHESTER
\nManchester City and Pep Guardiola have a Champions League score to settle against Thomas Tuchel when the newly-appointed Bayern Munich boss visits the Etihad in Tuesday\u2019s quarter-final, first leg. Tuchel emerged victorious as Chelsea manager in City\u2019s first, and so far only, run to the Champions League final in 2021. That was also the closest Guardiola has come in 10 tries during spells at Barcelona, Bayern and City to land his third European Cup as a coach.
\nChelsea\u2019s 1-0 win in front of largely empty Estadio do Dragao in Porto due to coronavirus restrictions two years ago was a case of the apprentice outshining the master. As a young coach Tuchel studied and admired Guardiola\u2019s dominant Barcelona side that won 14 trophies in four years from 2008 to 2012, including two Champions League titles. Their paths then crossed during Guardiola\u2019s three years in charge at Bayern, while Tuchel was coach of Mainz and then Borussia Dortmund.
\nTwo football obsessives, the pair even talked long into the night at a Munich bar in 2014, using glasses and salt and pepper shakers to mimic formations.
\n\u201cI was such a huge admirer of Pep when he was a player and then when he became a coach it was like learning on the job for me,\u201d said Tuchel prior to the 2021 Champions League final.
\n\u201cI was an academy coach and then in the Bundesliga with Mainz, but I don\u2019t think I missed a game (of Guardiola\u2019s Barcelona) because there was so much to learn.\u201d
\nThe respect is mutual. Guardiola described Tuchel last season as \u201cone of the few managers I learn from to develop (into) a better manager myself.\u201d
\nGuardiola has tended to have the upper hand in clashes between the two.
\nThree Chelsea wins in the space of six weeks towards the end of the 2020\/21 season are Tuchel\u2019s only victories in 10 meetings between the two to Guardiola\u2019s six.
\nBut he won the most important one and his Champions League pedigree played a large part in Bayern\u2019s swoop to secure his services and sack Julian Nagelsmann in a shock move last month.
\nTuchel also took Paris Saint-Germain to their maiden final in Europe\u2019s premier club competition in 2020 and took eventual winners Real Madrid to extra-time in the quarter-finals last year despite Chelsea being thrust into crisis by sanctions imposed on then owner Roman Abramovich.
\nThe 49-year-old now has the challenge of succeeding where Guardiola failed in leading Bayern back to Champions League glory.
\nBut the weight of expectation falls much more heavily on the City boss.
\nIn his seventh season in Manchester, Guardiola is in the running for his fifth Premier League title.
\nYet the failure to get over the line in Europe remains a blot on his copybook.
\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean I agree with that but absolutely we will be judged by this competition,\u201d said Guardiola on the importance of winning the Champions League to his legacy at the Etihad.
\nThe presence of Erling Haaland adds even more pressure on Guardiola to finally get the job done this year.
\nThe Norwegian scored twice on his return from injury in a 4-1 win at Southampton on Saturday to take his tally for the season to 44.
\nThose numbers saw Guardiola draw comparisons between his star striker, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
\nBut it was to make the difference when the fine margins count most in the latter stages of the Champions League that forced City to fight off competition from around Europe to land Haaland.
\nThe 22-year-old has scored 33 goals in 25 Champions League appearances, including five in a 7-0 rout of RB Leipzig in the last 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Guardiola and co have to score to settle against manager, now coaching Bayern MANCHESTER Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have a Champions League score to settle against Thomas Tuchel when the newly-appointed Bayern Munich boss visits the Etihad in Tuesday\u2019s quarter-final, first leg. Tuchel emerged victorious as Chelsea manager in City\u2019s first, and so far […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-325117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n