Messi, the Super Star
Mourinho had truly gone all in!
His determination could be seen from the starting lineup he submitted before the match.
Valdes was in goal. The back four were Adriano, Pique, Mascherano, and Alves. Yaya Touré played as the holding midfielder, with Iniesta alongside Xavi ahead of him. The front three were Pedro, Fàbregas, and Messi.
Mourinho had made some changes, but he still stuck to his own choices. He assigned Yaya Touré to the holding midfield role, kept Fàbregas pushed furthest forward, and moved Messi back to the right-wing position.
Even so, by fielding such a lineup, Mourinho had made it clear that he intended to fight Man City to the death away from home.
He wanted to score first at Man City's home ground!
Man City had also sent out their strongest lineup. Unlike Barcelona, who had gone all out against Real Madrid the previous weekend, Man City had conserved their strength and waited fresh for battle. They held obvious advantages in both the schedule and the flow of the competition.
Courtois was in goal. The back four were Marcelo, Pepe, Kompany, and Zabaleta. Busquets played as the holding midfielder, with David Silva and Toni Kroos ahead of him. The front three were Di Maria, Su Dong, and Sánchez.
Guardiola did not try to guess his opponent's tactics. Instead, he continued to adhere to his philosophy of focusing on his own game.
Man City had long been prepared for the possibility that Mourinho would go all in. But preparation was one thing; Guardiola would never change his own tactics just to counter Mourinho. Man City therefore continued to stick to their usual style of play.
It could be said that both sides had their own principles, while also making certain compromises.
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