3 Times Guardiola Cost His Team by Overthinking As Grealish Trains in Goal Ahead of Madrid Clash

• Jack Grealish was bizarrely spotted training as a goalkeeper ahead of the Real Madrid clash
• Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has in the past tinkered with formations to less effect
• Grealish playing as goalkeeper is a stretch but Guardiola has promised not to go overboard

Pep Guardiola has vowed not to overthink his tactics ahead of the crunch second-leg tie against Real Madrid on May 17.

Despite being a successful manager, the Champions League remains the one code he is yet to crack consistently after winning two with Barcelona in his early years.

Guardiola has reached at least the quarter-finals since his last win in 2011 but afterwards, it has often been a combination of bad luck, individual brilliance, and his tinkering with working formations that have cost him.

Addressing journalists before facing Carlo Ancelotti's men on Wednesday, the Spanish coach made a promise to stick to his basics.

5 players who 'went away' without permission after Messi goes AWOL for PSG

Football

"It's nothing special eh? I'm not overthinking tomorrow, don't worry, guys. Nothing different to what we have done in the past," Guardiola said, as quoted by Daily Mail.

However, as soon as the press conference was done, Jack Grealish was spotted training in goal, prompting hilarious reactions from City faithful.

Playing a midfielder in goal, let alone in such a big game, looks like such an impossible thing to do, but Guardiola has overthought things in the past.

Sports Brief delves into it times Pep let his own mind lead him astray:

1. Vs Lyon - 2019/2020

This will probably haunt him forever. Against 'modest' opposition, Guardiola was expected to make light work of the French side and make it through to the semif-inals of the reconstituted Champions League after Covid-19.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, he came up with a bizarre 3-5-2 formation to match what Lyon had. Understandably, the idea was to contain the Ligue 1 side's front two of Memphis Depay and Karl Toko Ekambi but that decision backfired.

Mourinho slams referee after Roma vs Monza amid fresh injury concerns

Football

Fernandinho started as one of the centre-backs, with Kyle Walker and Joao Cacelo looking lost in their overlapping wing-back roles. For more context, Guardiola left David Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden all on the bench.

Raheem Sterling's open-goal miss is one of the most memorable things from this game but one can't help but wonder what would have happened had Guardiola stuck with his 4-3-3 formation.

2. Vs Chelsea - 2020/2021

Manchester City's first Champions League final - one would think Guardiola would not allow anything to get in between him and glory.

Only that again, he went overboard, naming a string XI that had no identified number 9 or holding midfielder. For the former, he can be forgiven as he has churned out results consistently without having a target man.

But the idea of leaving out both Fernandinho and Rodri on the bench against a team that had beaten them twice already in that season is one thing many failed to understand.

Barcelona legend tells Messi to snub Catalan giants for shock Premier League move

Football

That notwithstanding, sending out his team to face a N'Golo Kante-powered midfield without another midfielder who can match the Frenchman's energy levels was insane.

Ilkay Gundogan was the holding midfielder, with the understanding being that City would have lots of possession, an area the German would come in handy.

The big question afterwards was whether Rodri or Fernandinho could have cut out Mason Mount's peach of a cross to set up Kai Havertz? Guess we will never know.

Kante had no equal in the middle of the area and did what he does. He walked away with the Man of the Match award for his efforts.

3. Vs Chelsea - 2011/2021

Looks like the Blues have really been Guardiola's Waterloo in Europe's elite competition. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard opted to abandon his 4-3-3 formation and go with 3-3-3-1 at Camp Nou.

It wasn't the first time that season that he had used that formation but as the Athletic points out, it was one that had been susceptible to counter-attacks.

5 clubs Neymar could join as PSG fans demand he move on

Football

Additionally, the inclusion of Isaac Cuenca in the starting eleven raised eyebrows. The issues with the formation were soon apparent after they conceded despite having a man advantage after John Terry's sending-off.

Guardiola's side were guilty of missing other opportunities, like Lionel Messi's penalty hitting the woodwork, but at the end of the day, Fernando Torres rounded off Victor Valdes from yet another counter-attack to seal victory.

Verdict on Guardiola overthinking things

He will be desperate to right the wrong this time around, especially after that stinging comeback from Real Madrid last season.

It's true in football, you need luck but in Guardiola's case, most of the time, it has been down to poor decisions. What an ironic statement considering it's a true tactician being discussed - but sadly, it's true.

Guardiola congratulates Rudiger about Haaland

At the same time, Sports Brief had reported that Guardiola had sarcastically congratulated Antonio Rudiger for silencing Erling Haaland during the first-leg Champions League encounter on May 9.

The German came out on top as the Norwegian endured a frustrating night on his first-ever game at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite his impressive goal-scoring performances throughout the season.