It’s been 11 years since Pep Guardiola last won the Champions League. A manager for 10 of the following seasons, last year’s loss to Chelsea is his only final appearance over the past decade.
Yet after losing to Thomas Tuchel’s side, Man City were determined that this year would finally be their year in Europe. That, having lost last season, they could follow in Liverpool ’s footsteps by turning such a low into European Cup glory 12 months later.
Beating Real Madrid 4-3 at the Etihad in the semi-final first leg, City had one foot in the final on May 28. When Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring at the Bernabeu in the second leg with little more than 15 minutes remaining, supporters would have had one eye on flights and hotels for Paris.
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As the clock hit the 90th minute in Spain, Man City were there and Guardiola was poised to have another chance to bring the Champions League back to the Etihad. Having led the tie since Kevin De Bruyne’s second minute opener in the first leg, and missed a plethora of chances both home and away which would have long since sealed their trip to Paris, it was no less than they deserved.
But substitute Rodrygo had other ideas. The Brazilian turned home Karim Benzema's cutback from close range in the final minute with Real's very first shot on target, before scoring again 90 seconds later to force extra-time by heading home Marco Asensio’s flick-on from Dani Carvajal's cross.
Having had that Champions League final stolen from the palm of their hand, Man City were stunned. When Benzema scored a 95th minute penalty to fire Real Madrid ahead on aggregate for the first time, one of the most sensational Champions League collapses was complete.
From that point on the result was secure with City never looking like they would find a way back, and their players stood shell-shocked come the final whistle as their European dreams were ended prematurely once again.
Guardiola had sent on Ilkay Gundogan and Oleksandr Zinchenko for Kyle Walker and De Bruyne moments before Mahrez's opener, with them already ahead on aggregate and closing in on back-to-back final appearances. Jack Grealish and Fernandinho then replaced Gabriel Jesus and the Algerian as City looked to see out the game until the final whistle and clinch their place in Paris.
Yet as soon as Rodrygo levelled the scores on the night, Guardiola’s men looked spent. They needed an experienced leader to pick up his team-mates and carry them through but what they were left with was a spineless group looking around at each other, both unable and unwilling to take responsibility. Oh for the days of Vincent Kompany.
To add extra salt into those Man City wounds, they once boasted the talents of another player they really could have benefitted from possessing at the Bernabeu, only to lose him on a free transfer to Liverpool.
Eyebrows were raised in the Reds fanbase back in the summer of 2015 when the Reds signed a 29-year-old James Milner to essentially replace talismanic captain Steven Gerrard in midfield, making him the club’s highest earner, handing him the esteemed number seven shirt and appointing him vice-captain.
But the veteran swiftly eradicated such fears and while, now aged 36, he might not get the minutes on the pitch he once desired, he remains one of the fittest players in the Premier League and one of Jurgen Klopp ’s most trusted lieutenants.
Signed by former manager Brendan Rodgers, the Northern Irishman wanted to add Premier League-winning experience to his squad, having seen Liverpool collapse themselves to miss out on the Premier League title in 2013/14. And with Milner a two-time Premier League winner, FSG broke away from their traditional transfer attributes to land the midfielder.
Since then, slowly closing in on 300 appearances from seven seasons at Anfield, he has helped the Reds win the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, European Super Cup and League Cup, while he is playing a vital, if admittedly sometimes unheralded role as Liverpool chase down an unprecedented quadruple.
Speaking after Milner’s man of the match performance in the Reds’ 1-0 victory over Newcastle United last weekend, Klopp insisted none of his side’s success in recent seasons would have been possible without their vice-captain.
“Outstanding. Milly is Milly. He’s incredibly important for us,” the German told reporters at St. James’ Park. “People think we talk about dressing room and leadership.
“Yes it is helpful, it’s very helpful especially with a manager who isn’t a native speaker. But on the pitch as well, he played a super game… The boys were on fire. I really liked the game and James was a massive part of that.
“It would be interesting to look at Luka Modric. Is he not 36 as well? Obviously a good generation. It’s difficult to be fitter than Milly, he's a role-model.
“I told him, nothing that we have achieved in the last few years would have happened without James Milner. Easy as that. Whether he’s on the pitch or not.
“He stands out in a way not a lot of people can stand out. He’s educated all of us.”
With such a performance prompting fresh calls for the midfielder to sign a new contract, Milner demonstrated such abilities once again when Liverpool were on the verge of a Champions League semi-final collapse themselves on Tuesday night. Leading 2-0 after the first leg against Villarreal, the Reds had seen the La Liga outfit level the aggregate scores following a dismal 45 minutes from Klopp’s men.
Supporters called for the introduction of captain Jordan Henderson, another player who boasts those exact attributes City would be lacking 24 hours later, yet Klopp turned the game around with half-time introduction of Luis Diaz. Goals from Fabinho, the Colombian and Sadio Mane would see the Reds turn the match on its head to lead 3-2 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
And it was then that the Liverpool boss decided to introduce his captain and vice-captain, his voices on the pitch, trusting the duo to help see out the game and avoid another shock collapse. There’s a reason why Klopp calls his squad, ‘mentality monsters’ with Henderson and Milner both at the heart of that never say die mentality.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. They dig in and ensure Liverpool step up when it matters most, continuing to use their experience to manage matches to perfection. Compare to Guardiola’s City squad and it’s clear it’s not just a striker he’s lacking, with Fernandinho’s impending summer exit only reiterating their lost leadership in recent years.
Never a first-team regular at Man City despite joining them for £26m in 2010, Milner left the Etihad in search of becoming something more elsewhere. By working alongside Klopp, he has achieved just that at Liverpool and proven himself to be exactly what his former club are missing as their European failings continue.
