Guardiola envisions historic City treble

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

MANCHESTER CITY are three games away from making history. And after the stunning rout of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals yesterday, Pep Guardiola’s march toward a treble of trophies feels unstoppable.

“We are there. We can think about it, can visualise it,” the City manager said after his team’s 4-0 win at Etihad Stadium.

After drawing the first leg 1-1, Madrid’s undisputed kings of Europe were humbled, and except for the efforts of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the score line could have been so much worse for the 14-time champions.

City feels like an irresistible force as it closes in on the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup titles. It was certainly too hot for Madrid to handle as Bernardo Silva scored twice in the first half, Eder Militao scored an own goal after the break, and substitute Julian Alvarez struck in time added on to seal a 5-1 aggregate win.

Madrid have fought their way back from the brink on numerous occasions over the past two seasons, but this was too great a challenge.

After overrunning the defending European champions, City will be favoured to do the same to Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10.

A win against Chelsea on Sunday would secure a third straight league title, and Manchester United stands in their way in the FA Cup final. United are the only English team to win the three main trophies in one season – doing so in 1999.

DOMINANT FORCE

City have already overtaken its Manchester rival as the dominant force in English football and can now emulate their greatest achievement.

“We are close, and of course, we are going to try,” Guardiola said.

City are going in search of its first Champions League title while Guardiola is aiming to win it for a third time as a coach.

At times, it has seemed as though the pressure on Europe’s biggest stage was too big for a team that have been serial winners in domestic competition. While City’s quality have rarely been in question over Guardiola’s seven years in charge, their temperament in the Champions League has been.

On too many occasions they have fallen short when the heat was on –losing to underdogs such as Monaco, Lyon, and Tottenham.

They were in command for almost the entirety of the two-legged semi-final against Madrid last year but still managed to lose after blowing a two-goal lead in the last few minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.

That never looked likely on this occasion, however, as City provided further evidence that they are finally ready to lift the one trophy that has eluded them.

“After 10 or 15 minutes I had the feeling that all the pain we had in one season, one year, what happened last season, was there today,” Guardiola said.

“It was really tough to lose the way we lost, and I think we had to swallow poison. Football always gives you another chance.”

Carlo Ancelotti had described Madrid as a team with a “special power to stay alive”

“We played against an opponent who deserved to win,” Ancelotti said.

“They played with more intensity, more quality up front, and they took their chances. They were better than us today, we were better last year.”