Welcome back to the Champions League review
It’s safe to say Manchester City vs. AS Monaco was a very, very good game. It felt like some sort of short story of old following the plot structure of: Exposition , rising action, climax, and a denouement. Each of these parts of a plot are represented by a moment in the game that shaped and turned this game into a spectacle. It became more than just a game because you felt the gravity of expectations and story lines surrounding the changes that happened minute to minute. Whether or not the “quality” of the game was exceptional throughout was up for discussion, but usually more open and dysfunctional games make for the best viewing and even more so, best headlines....
- Exposition “oh wait...theres the real Pep Guardiola”... In the exposition, its just an introduction of the characters and it sets the stage for what is to come. In this case I saw a huge mismatch of straight up talent and worried if I chose the wrong game to watch. After 10 minutes I already started to text my friends about the tactics implemented and how City were going to cruise to victory. I think I actually used the phrase “like a hot knife through some butter” to describe how well the attack from city looked that came to a head with a goal in the 26th minute from Raheem Sterling. Pep seemed to have everything under control.
- Rising Action- “You filthy dog #falcao”- Alex Morgan. I guess she forgot that tigers are cats though.......In this part of a plot there are a series of events leading that allow for an interesting Climax. In this instance, it was the resurgence of a certain, Radamal Falcao. He first tied the game up with a great back post header, but then absolutely rolled back the clock (and kept it current with an awful penalty miss) with a vintage El Tigre finish. He then remembered he was in Manchester while he stepped up for the spot kick and mid strike had a flashback and passed the ball into caballeros bread basket. Im assuming this much because i have no other explanation for such an awful Pen. Either way, Falco’s second goal put Monaco up 3-2 and everyone was reminded that Jon Stones can't really defend so well. It was at this point I basically feared for Guardiola’s job. They were out of the champions league and barely in the top 4 domestically....
- Climax- “Aguerooooooooo”- Martin Tyler. Honestly one of the best moments in sports history, the greatest moment in Manchester City’s average history and Aguero is on his way out? In recent weeks he had been half heartedly pledging his future/next few months to Manchester City after being more or less benched for the second coming himself and had it not been for a foot injury, I would imagine Jesus would have led the lines last night as well. Having already scored, Aguero scored a sweet volley from a corner to level the game and breathe life back into a City team that didn't show many signs of coming back. In the Climax, there is an event that changes the protagonists fate for the good, and it was this one and given the history and situation, it had to be Aguero.
- Falling action-conflict unravels - “Stones makes amends”. After being absolutely torched and left for dead on Falcao second goal, Stones puts away another set piece goal to put City in the drivers seat. Even though it could have been a hat trick for Aguero, Stones was there to tap it in and lifted the roof off the stadium. At this point I felt myself rooting for City in a way I would root for batman, or Peter Quinn: it was irrational hero stuff but felt as though it was more than the game, I was hoping they got out of this game “alive” and with something to show.
- Dénouement - “Pep is back”. There was 35 minutes of that game, not including half time that the guardian reporters were licking their chops to write that Guardiola was overrated and couldn't cut it and blah blah....Well guys, as cool as Bane was as a villain, Batman came out on top. Bane gave us some great one liners, but retrospectively, we all knew who was going to win....right? City fans will tell you they weren't nervous at all, but I imagine most City fans are as spoiled as New England Patriot fans who also weren't nervous in this recent Super Bowl....Regardless of what happened the first 81 minutes, it seems Sané’s goal really just relieved tension and made the return leg a lot more realistic.