Sevilla 1 – 3 MAN CITY – MY THOUGHTS
4 Nov
This was everything we had been waiting for. It was the type of commanding Champions League performance – full of intensity and purpose and control – that should be the norm for us, not just a pleasant surprise. It was thrilling to see.
I’m sure many have spoken about Manuel Pellegrini’s tactics: his decision to play with two exciting, pacey wingers and his bold, but ultimately successful, move to start Kevin De Bruyne on the bench. I imagine I don’t need to talk about why showing pragmatism and selecting the two Brazilians at the heart of midfield was the right choice. Many will have discussed just that and rightly so. The manager had arguably his finest night in charge of the club.
What I want to do is mention a few different elements of the trip. For whilst the tactics, the performance and the hopeful coming-of-age of this squad is absolutely noteworthy, I’m writing this the day after the game and after almost eleven hours of travel. From Seville to Madrid to Luton and now on a coach back home, it presents plenty of time to reflect.
And what is clearer than ever is that this win wasn’t just about the players doing their jobs or securing our place in the next round. It was about a shared experience.
For those fortunate enough to travel out to Spain, it meant much more than simply cheering three goals.
It was about setting out on a journey and hoping for the best but fearing the worst. It was about the day ahead, the match looming in the distance following hours immersed in the city.
It was about seeing familiar faces, and meeting friends old and new.
It was about the humour, the camaraderie, the laughs.
It was about a shared look of bewilderment as we notched one and two so early. It was about the fan next to you turning from stranger to neighbour and engulfing you in celebration.
It was about the shared excitement, then the worry and then the elation once more. It was about the man on the row in front confidently declaring the game over at 3-1 and then panicking whenever we gave the ball away.
It was about the songs. It was about seeing the Sevilla supporters streaming out towards the end and changing gleeful taunts of ‘cheerio, cheerio, cheerio’ to ‘adiós, adiós, adiós’.
It was about the unity when needlessly kept behind in the ground for almost an hour by riot police.
It was about the sense of fun with Fabian Delph as he did his warm-down shuttle runs. It was about Gael Clichy and his forward rolls in the rain.
It was about the bleary-eyed Blues at breakfast. It was about the confused shrugs with your fellow fans as you tried to navigate your journey home. It was about asking a couple of South-American buskers if they knew the words to Blue Moon.
It was special to be there, so forgive the somewhat personal look back. This was a trip characterised by friendship and humour, and shared emotions and experiences. What happened on the pitch was near-perfection. What happened off it, in the city and in the stands, was something else.
I will have to ask you to excuse the prosaic nature of my thoughts after such a summary.
I think many fans will feel this was a breakthrough game, similar to the 6-1 demolition at Old Trafford. City have stepped up. And they are not going away any time soon.
Great night great thoughts!
Defense, defense, defense. That is what wins you games. It was refreshing to see Pellers is becoming pragmatic on a game basis instead of saying “we play the way we play”. I had given up hopes but he proved me wrong, you can teach an old dog new tricks. One of the best performances I have seen so far. Both Frenies shielded the back 4 really well. He keeps his pragmatic hat on for the whole season, we will definitely win the title at the very least.