City-Real and Liverpool-Villarreal, football against futbol
English football against Spanish futbol, Manchester City against Real Madrid on Tuesday, and Liverpool against Villarreal on Wednesday: two Anglo-Spanish clashes in the semi-finals of the Champions League will make it possible to establish a first European hierarchy before the return matches and the designation of the finalists who will will meet in Paris.
Victorious in eight of the last ten editions of the Champions League, Spain and England have confirmed their hold on the continent, which is reflected in their domination of the UEFA index of the best European championships.
Admittedly, there is a surprise guest there, Villarreal, a modest club from a town of 50,000 inhabitants in the Valencia region which in turn tamed Juventus Turin in the round of 16 (1-1, 3-0) then Bayern Munich. in the quarterfinals (1-0, 1-1), reaching the last four for the second time in its history after 2006.
For the rest, we could quite relive an Anglo-English final, as in 2021 (Chelsea-City) or in 2019 (Liverpool-Tottenham). Or, why not, a Hispano-Spanish poster, like 2014 or 2016 (Real-Atlético both times).
“I want to congratulate Villarreal and Unai (Emery), because they created the sensation”, underlined Carlo Ancelotti, coach of Real Madrid. “I think few people thought that Spanish football was going to send two teams to the Champions League semi-finals at the start of the season. »
“We are going to suffer”, warns Guardiola
La Liga has lost some of its luster with the deep crisis that has shaken one of the Spanish giants, FC Barcelona, and the successive departures of most of the championship’s planetary stars, Neymar in 2017, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 and Lionel Messi in 2021.
But the great Real remains the record holder for trophies in the European queen event (13) and dreams of a new final, four years after his last coronation.
Ancelotti’s team will have to do a spell for Manchester City, finalist 2021, which aims to win a first coronation in C1, the objective of its wealthy Emirati owners.
“We are going to face the kings of this competition, so whatever it is, we will suffer”admitted the coach of City, Pep Guardiola, a longtime pet peeve of Real when he coached Barça (2008-2012).
City has for him his twirling passing game, carried by his small templates Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva. But the Madrid giant, who dreams of playing in a new final at the Stade de France after that won in 2000 against Valencia (3-0), is counting on his unrivaled European culture and on his center forward, a Karim Benzema in a state of grace.
Benzema, candidate for the Ballon d’Or
Author of seven goals in his last three European evenings to eliminate Paris SG then Chelsea, the Frenchman is more than ever applying for the Ballon d’Or.
But Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mané, on the Liverpool side, intend to challenge him for the status of best player of the season: the two attackers aim to guide the Reds to a new coronation, as in 2019, which would be the seventh of the powerful club of the north of England.
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp is wary of Villarreal, however, which has a well-oiled collective in the absence of stars. His counterpart Unai Emery has won the Europa League four times (with Sevilla then Villarreal) and knows better than anyone how to prepare for a double continental confrontation.
“Anyone who eliminates Juve and then Bayern deserves to be in the semi-finals”, warned Klopp. ” They are very good and have an extremely experienced coach who is the king of these cups, it’s amazing what Unai is doing. »
Spain or England? The Stade de France awaits the designation of its hosts for the final on May 28.
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