64 2GM Wednesday February 16 2022 | the times
SportChampions League
Goals of sublime quality, especially
from Bernardo Silva and Raheem
Sterling, showcased the individual
talent in this special side of Pep Guard-
iola’s on a famous night for Manchester
City. But what raises City to an even
greater level is their prodigious work
ethic. Riyad Mahrez scored City’s first,
and kept creating, but it was also his
work out of possession that stood out,
tracking, tackling and clearing — that is
the Guardiola way and is helping City
to move closer to the Champions
League trophy.
Other sides have the skill, but few
have the application levels of City.
Guardiola sets the tone. Clearly
annoyed with Sporting managing some
counterattacks in the first half, Guardi-
ola ensured City tightened up after the
break and further throttled the life out
of the poor Portuguese champions.
When Rodri was withdrawn late on,
having controlled midfield like a con-
ductor playing his favourite tunes, he
received a few firm words from Guardi-
ola, who is so exacting in his demands.
So even though this was an occasion
to relish the thrilling nature of City’s
angled passes en route to goal, this rout
was also a reminder that they do the
ugly stuff, pressing in swarms, putting
in the hard yards, putting team before
self. Silva, moving all over, displayed a
similar work ethic to Mahrez, so did
Phil Foden, a nerveless false No 9, so did
Raheem Sterling who combined devas-
tatingly with João Cancelo. All of City’s
players worked so hard, all of them cap-
tains of industry as well as invention.
They took Sporting having posses-
sion of the ball as an affront, claimed it
back quickly, and then ripped their
hosts apart again and again. The only
mercy for Sporting was that away goals
do not count double any more. They
were so outplayed that when VAR
denied City a Silva effort early in the
second half a Mexican wave almost
went off among their fans. They twirled
their green-and-white scarves, they
commendably stayed until the bitter
end, they sang defiantly — but the
second leg is a formality. City wrapped
up the tie last night.
It is on memorable nights like this
when the image of City finally becom-
ing champions of Europe comes into
sharper focus. Rarely have they been as
ruthless and relentless. There will be far
harder assignments to come than this,
especially from Premier League
opposition as City discovered against
Chelsea last season, but performances
such as this will increase their belief
that they can master this demanding
competition. They have the players, the
intelligence, the persistence and
certainly the manager in Guardiola,
especially when he eschews his overly
clever selections and simply picks his
best available XI, as here.
It is on special evenings like this when
City demonstrate their many talents,
individual and collective. Watching
Foden move with such stealth and
shrewdness, playing with such compo-
sure and maturity, it is hard to believe
he is still only 21.
Paulinho shook hands with Silva at
the start of the second half, one of the
few times a Sporting player got to grips
with City’s elusive No 20. John Stones,
filling in superbly at right back for the
Sporting Lisbon (3-4-3): A Adán 5 — R Esgaio 4,
S Coates 5, G Inácio 5 — P Porro 6 (L Neto 83min),
J Palhinha 4, M Nunes 6, M Reis 5 — P Sarabia 5
(B Tabata 75), Paulinho 5 (I Slimani 75),
P Gonçalves 5 (M Ugarte 51, 5). Booked Nunes,
Esgaio, Ugarte.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson 6 — J Stones 6
(O Zinchenko 61, 6), R Dias 6, A Laporte 6
(N Aké 85), J Cancelo 6 — K De Bruyne 7, Rodri 7
(Fernandinho 73 6), B Silva 9 (L Delap 85) —
R Mahrez 8, P Foden 8 (I Gundogan 61, 6),
R Sterling 9. Booked Gundogan.
Referee S Jovanovic (Serbia).Foden fires home Manchester City’s third goal on a night when their dominance gave them a 4-0 lead at half-time. Silva,Sporting Lisbon
Manchester City
Mahrez 7, B Silva 17, 44, Foden 32, Sterling 580
5
Never mind skill, few can match
Henry Winter
Chief Football
Writer, Lisbon
suspended Kyle Walker, glided upfield
after intercepting.
For 2,500 City fans it was a night to
cherish after a day in the sun in dreamy
Lisbon. They chanted: “You’re just a
shit Benfica” at Sporting and the hosts
were undeniably poor, overawed and
soon overwhelmed. Their young head
coach, Rúben Amorim, has been
earning plenty of plaudits for his work
reviving Sporting, including defeating
Borussia Dortmund in the group stage,
but he was given a lesson here by the
master Guardiola.
This was the 12th time City had
scored four goals in a first half under
Guardiola. Their goals were so irresisti-
ble in the first half, their finishing so
good, that even some of the Sporting
fans broke off from jeering Rúben Dias,
formerly of Benfica, to applaud the
visiting team.
The rout started after seven minutes.
Silva, inevitably, was involved, passing
to Foden whose shot was saved by
Antonio Adán. Typically, City were
quickest to the loose ball. Kevin De
Bruyne played the ball back for Mahrez
to make it ten goals in his past 11 appear-
ances in the Champions League. VAR
checked lengthily for an offside on
De Bruyne but he was just on.
Mahrez then helped to create City’s
second ten minutes later, driving in a
corner that Rodri headed up. Again
City were fastest to respond, this time it
was Silva hitting a half-volley that
crashed in off the crossbar. The goals
continued to flow, again with Mahrez
playing his part, crossing low from the
right after 32 minutes. Foden could
have snatched at the ball but he has ice
in his veins and he controlled it before
slotting past Adán.
City’s fourth arrived a minute before
the break. Cancelo combined with
Sterling, Sporting froze, and Silva
darted in to accept Sterling’s cutback.
His shot took a generous deflection on
its way past Adán, crushing Sporting’s
spirit further.
City made it five after 58 minutes and
it was another reminder of Sterling’s
electric form. His 11th goal in 16 games
was one of his best, a right-footed
special that gave Adán no chance.
There is always talk of Sterling and
pastures new but they are unlikely to be
greener. He has a manager who brings
the best out of him, he is surrounded by
exceptional professionals and he could
be in the most momentous year of his
life. The Premier League should be
retained, there is the FA Cup to play for,
the Champions League opens up and
England head to the World Cup as the
year closes. At 27, Sterling is at his peak,
as he showed here, even moving into
the top ten of City’s all-time scorers.
Guardiola was able to rotate and rest,
sending on Ilkay Gundogan and Olek-
sandr Zinchenko for Foden and Stones.
Silva moved through the middle while
Cancelo switched to right back. It high-
lighted again City’s flexibility, their will-
ingness to assume different positions.
Fernandinho came on for Rodri and
the midfield control remained. Nathan
Aké replaced Aymeric Laporte with no
change to the defensive dominance.
Liam Delap strode on in attack for Silva
and looked promising. And Mahrez was
still shuttling up and down, helping his
defence and alarming Sporting’s.Round of 16, first leg
Reliable Rodri has become undroppable
He has not said so publicly but in the
company of those closest to him Pep
Guardiola admitted this season that he
had made a mistake with his team
selection in last year’s Champions
League final. The decision to play with-
out a recognised defensive midfielder
against Chelsea was an error, he
conceded to his inner circle.
Anyone who was watching that night
in Porto came to that conclusion within
half an hour. Ilkay Gundogan had oper-
ated at the base of City’s midfield in the
past, but he was given the run-around
by Jorginho and N’Golo Kanté.
One wonders what Rodri was think-
ing in Porto that night as he watched his
team-mates wilt from the bench. Nine
months on, the idea of Guardiola
benching Rodri in big games is simply
unthinkable. City have performed so
well this season that there are, in reality,
many contenders for their player of the
season. Rodri is certainly one of them.
City triggered the £62.6 million
release clause in Rodri’s Atletico Madrid
contract in the summer of 2019. At firstit was hard to see why. With his 6ft 3in
frame, he added height to Guardiola’s
team, but otherwise there was not much
about his game that impressed.
Little by little he has grown into the
role, however. He has cut out the
mistakes, improved his understanding
of Guardiola’s style of play and become
an essential part of the team.
Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Riyad
Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem
Sterling played some mouthwatering
attacking football last night, but they
would not have been able to do so if
they had not had Rodri behind them.
He is so good at snuffing out counter-
attacks that City can venture forward
en masse without worrying if they lose
the ball. In the early stages in Lisbon,
just after City had taken the lead, Paul-
inho broke down the left and attempted
to find Matheus Reis at the back post,
but Rodri stuck out his leg just in time
and diverted the ball away. Minutes
earlier he had left Pedro Porro on his
backside after winning the ball in the air.
Last night, as the goals started flying
in for City, it must have been tempting
for Rodri to pile forward. But not oncedid the midfielder venture from his
position in front of the two City centre
backs. Seeking the limelight is not his
thing. This is a man who lived in student
accommodation while playing for
Villarreal and studying for a degree in
business studies and economics. He is a
selfless but essential part of this free-
scoring, slick operation.
One of the most impressive aspects
of City’s Champions League campaign
has been their ability to hush the crowd.
The atmosphere in Lisbon, for the brief
time that the game was scoreless, was
white-hot, but City sucked the life out
of the crowd by keeping hold of the ball.
Rodri plays a big part in that operation.
Only onc did he lose composure last
night, passing to a white shirt instead of
Aymeric Laporte.
Being a perfectionist, Guardiola did
not appear entirely happy with Rodri’s
performance. After substituting him in
the 73rd minute, Guardiola spoke at
length in animated fashion, pointing to
different areas of the pitch. The 2,500
City fans appreciated Rodri’s work,
though. They rose to their feet and ap-
plauded as he sat for a well-earned rest.Paul Hirst