All four are gone! Before the season ends, Manchester City has already had a "breakup meal"

Puppers start with The Paper

Who is the most disappointing giant this season? Real Madrid was about to leave the list, but found that Manchester City was the first to raise their hand. In the early morning of May 18, in the last event of this season that may win a championship, Blue Moon failed again without any surprise. It is still the absolute initiative to occupy the scene, and it is still the favorite thing to do without rain. The last chance to save the honor of the season, and the Blue Moon harvests double the humiliation.

Since Guardiola took over, Manchester City has only been empty-handed in the 2016-17 season in nine years, but the team's personnel and system at that time were completely different from Guardiola's requirements, and it was not surprising that everyone was bullied. But now, Manchester City, who has been defeated on the island for many years, has really reached the point where it is not broken or established.

Manchester City lost the FA Cup championship.

The four major players are all empty, and it is not unfair. Only considering the state of both sides and the performance of the confrontation before the game, it seems that there is no suspense for Manchester City to be crowned the FA Cup. Just a month ago, Lan Yue staged a reversal drama of two goals in the first 20 minutes of the game, and knocked Crystal Palace down. Since then, she started a five-game winning streak and gradually took the initiative in the Champions League qualification in her own hands.

But two seemingly the same game did not step into the same river. After completing the relegation task early in the Premier League, Crystal Palace, which had no desires and no desires, had long expected a crushing defeat. Crystal Palace coach Glasner, who is particularly good at playing cup games, is preparing to treat Manchester City as Barcelona that year, just like when he coached Frankfurt.

As the turning point of the game, Crystal Palace goalkeeper Henderson touched the ball outside the penalty area in the second half, which was a red card without any suspense. However, the dizzy referee Atwell ignored it in confusion. This unforgivable mistake became the butterfly effect of the game. Subsequently, Marmush's penalty was saved by him. Manchester City, who dug a hole at the beginning, lost the best chance to tie.

In the eyes of neutral fans, Manchester City's FA Cup loss is an absolute "system game". In the final dance of the championship battle, Manchester City had a ball possession rate of 77% and 23 shots, which was the newest final in the FA Cup after detailed statistics were introduced in 2014. Ruben Dias successfully passed the ball in this game (129 times) even higher than the entire Crystal Palace team (126 times).

But Crystal Palace, who had only shot twice in the game, walked out of Wembley with a smile. Glasner, who won the game, continued to sprinkle salt on Manchester City's wounds: "Prince William who came to watch the game is an Aston Villa fan, but he congratulated us on his performance." Previously, Crystal Palace advanced to the finals after eliminating Villa.

Manchester City became the background board for their opponents to win the championship.

Of course, if we consider it from the perspective of mathematical statistics, it is not worth making a fuss about the aircraft carrier in Manchester City's FA Cup final. Manchester City, who has reached the FA Cup finals for 14 times, has won only 7 times, with a success rate of just over half; as for Guardiola himself, he has only won two times in his 9 years, and has lost the finals back to back in the last two seasons, which is the first time in his career.

However, by chance, the rules can always be summarized. Losing to Manchester United in the final last season, Manchester City not only made Ten Hach continue to stay, but also greatly diluted the joy of defending the Premier League, until he won only 11 games in 31 games in five months this season. The team's luck has taken a sharp turn, perhaps starting from that final.

In fact, due to the previous sluggish performance of Manchester City's fronts, the last championship battle was a hit, which was also due to inertia.

In the Premier League, Manchester City is now ranked 6th in one game in less than one game, and it seems that there is still room for fault tolerance, but being tied by the relegated deputy squad leader Southampton in the last round is enough to prove that the team is strong outside and dominate the middle.

In the Champions League, Manchester City narrowly won Bruges in the last round of the "League Stage" to advance, but with only 11 points, it was really surprising. In the playoffs, Real Madrid was still suppressed by blood, and missed the Champions League round of 16 for the first time in Guardiola.

As for the seemingly useless League Cup, as early as the fourth round, Lan Yue was eliminated by Tottenham, who also "Wang Xiaoer celebrates the New Year". No matter from which dimension, Manchester City's "warmth" made the fans angry.

Guardiola hugged De Bruyne. The veterans are not dead, but they are about to leave the end of the game. The expressions of the fans in the Wembley stands are the condensed trend of the game. The little fans wearing Manchester City jersey couldn't help but shed tears after seeing the players squandering opportunities many times.

At this moment of silence, the only thing that has not lost its fighting spirit is De Bruyne, who has only counted in days after leaving the team. The Manchester City captain made three straight passes to the opponent's defense line at the end of the game, but his teammates were wasting his good intentions. When he dragged his tired body to the corner kick area, he found that his teammates still seemed unwilling to compete with each other for a high ball.

has played, but it seems that it has not played again. This is a microcosm of the performance of most Manchester City players in this game.

Although he returned to the front line at the end of the season, it is obvious that Haaland is no longer the demon who has killed a lot in the past two seasons. On the 9th of Blue Moon, who was under strict supervision by the opponent, did nothing again. Haaland, who had failed to score in the semi-finals 11 times (up to 8 in the finals), even became afraid of the penalty kick, giving it to Marmush, who was not ready.

The one who retreated faster than Haaland was last season's Premier League MVP Foden. On the sideline that was already a little alienated, most of the Manchester City "Prince" chose to pass the safe ball back whenever they got the ball. The only cross was so targeted that they couldn't bear to look at it. How could it be that the downturn that lasted for a season?

Also mediocre are Akanji who continues to pass ineffectively on the wing, and B-seaters who can be seen throughout the game, but the key balls are less and less involved. The only one who is quite fighting spirit is Argentine young player Echeviri, but although he has the determination to shoot, his footwork is poor.

As the Guayan City sign, the pass has made the remaining 19 teams in the Premier League change their feelings. But now, with all the low-post iron barrel formations and high-speed counterattacks, Manchester City has put a few top-notch players in front of the opponent's penalty area, and the days when they make their opponent surrender by passing the ball have passed. The

system is no longer effective, and the old people who support the system seem to be at the time to say goodbye.

De Bruyne, who has confirmed that he left, only reported first. Gundogan, who seems to have not returned, will find it difficult to fight for another year. Edsson, who has been rumored to have scandals and injuries, may have reached a critical moment of choice. Glalish, Stones and others, who are worried about attendance, also have to put a question mark. Even McCarty, who was reused in the second half of the season, may be used as a trading leader. Among the people who left, even Begiristan, the director who had fought side by side with Guardiola for many years.

In the longer period before, the departure of Cornpani, Fernandinho and Aguero also made Manchester City sad, but no one seemed to be more deadly than Alvarez's departure. What the "Little Spider" takes away is not only the team's championship luck, but also the transformation of space, courage and opportunity.

If the Argentinian is still there in the final field, will the result be different? It’s a pity that Guardiola, who firmly believes in his old subordinates, cut off this possibility with his own hands.

Haland gave up the penalty, but Marmush lost the free throw.

Reorganization? It’s better to change your ideas than to replace people

The last dance of the golden age, and Manchester City only gains heartbreak. Although Blue Moon still has the possibility of competing for the Club World Cup, thanks to the team's current sluggish state and enthusiasm, it is already thankful that it will not continue to create a tragedy.

Looking at the 33-year history of the Premier League, Guardiola's Manchester City is enough to compete with Ferguson's Class 92, Wenger's unbeaten Gunners, and Mourinho's Iron-blooded Blues, and have become the benchmark for Premier League dynasty teams. In terms of the number of champions, play style and viewing ability, the Blue Moon is even a unique existence.

But there is never an eternal winner on the football field, even Guardiola, who is the "world coach", is no exception. If Real Madrid's four majors are all empty, they will be attributed to the stacking of superstars and inappropriate arrangements, then Manchester City's collapse can only be attributed to the rigidity of the system and thinking.

Judging from Guardiola's post-match speech, this point has been deeply rooted.

"I didn't think there was a problem with the tactics, but they won, and the game plan didn't work. English football should have focused on fluency. Everyone can play their own way, but we need to score goals. Fans want to see 22 players playing smoothly, my team never deliberately delayed, we just want to play games worth watching."

In other words, it's still the unshakable "I lose, I'm reasonable" - the opponent is too negative, we have no luck, soccer shouldn't be like this.

If a defeat on one front is possible, you may complain about the crime of non-war, just like Manchester City was eliminated by Real Madrid last season in the Champions League, and Manchester City, who lost at the penalty point, has already given all of it. But now for Manchester City, which is empty in all four, any defense is pale.

The other side of the island is that more and more Manchester City players have smoothed their edges and lost their personality with the support of the pass and control system. They dare not take responsibility and only dare to use safety balls to play the screws. It is really difficult to make them feel hungry again, which is stable. After all, the "Dream Three" created by Guardiola himself failed to do this.

Recalling the 2022-23 season when Manchester City won the Champions League for the first time, Guardiola, who was brave enough to change, caught all the giants off guard with a creative new team of 3421. Just when the whole world thinks that the new version of Blue Moon will be seamlessly switched, the team returns to the classic 433 in the next two seasons.

Even Guardiola cannot avoid falling into path dependence. Compared to the tactical revolution, the champion is obviously the more fragrant one.

In the 2016-17 season, Manchester City, which was also empty in all four, made drastic advancement of its lineup in the summer window of the next season, and now, Manchester City, standing at a similar window of change, obviously has to change both players and ideas. Otherwise, even if Wiltz and Reindes come, they may not escape the fate of being assimilated by the general environment.

(Bumps/Yang Jian)