How Man City 2023 stack up against Pep Guardiola’s 2009 Barcelona
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Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan holds aloft the European Cup as they celebrate winning the Champions League final on Saturday.
PHOTO: AFP
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ISTANBUL – Pep Guardiola became the first manager in Europe to win two trebles as Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 to secure their first Champions League title
City completed the treble of Champions League, English Premier League and FA Cup titles, matching Manchester United’s feat in 1998-1999 and drawing comparisons with Guardiola’s 2008-09 Barcelona team.
Here is how the 2022-23 City side stack up against that Barca team.
Team strengths
Guardiola’s Barca had a squad including some of the best Spanish players of their generation, including defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, and midfielders Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, who were the core of the side that won the 2010 World Cup.
Brazilian fullback Dani Alves was a menace down the right flank, supplying one of the best strike forces in club football history – Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry.
City have one of the greatest club squads ever assembled. The likes of forward Julian Alvarez, a starter for Argentina in their 2022 World Cup triumph, England midfielder Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez all struggle to nail down a first-team spot.
The addition of Erling Haaland turned Guardiola’s City into a juggernaut, as the Norwegian striker, 22, broke multiple goalscoring records.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City walking past the trophy after the team won the Champions League final.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Game style
Guardiola’s Barca were well known for their unique possession game which dazzled opponents with quick, short passes, intelligent movement and positional interchange in a style called tiki-taka.
At City, Guardiola presented an evolution of “total football”, creating a near-perfect fluid system in which almost no player remained in a fixed role, complemented by a relentless high press.
City can also change systems when required. In 2022, they won the Premier League without a centre forward and with Haaland, they have a battering ram up front which allows them to adopt a more direct style.
Campaigns
Barca won the 2008-09 La Liga title with 87 points, nine more than Real Madrid, and scored 105 goals, as Messi, Eto’o and Henry racked up 100 goals in all competitions.
They beat United in the Champions League final 2-0, with goals by Eto’o and Messi.
This year’s Premier League title was Guardiola’s fifth with City. They won it on 89 points, ending the season with 28 wins, five draws and five losses. They scored 94 goals, 36 of which were by Haaland.
City beat United 2-1 in the FA Cup final, as they became only the second English team to win the treble. REUTERS
