Pep Guardiola might claim his side have a 'one percent chance' of overhauling the tie, but his shiny new weapons can make all the difference
Manchester City approached the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie with Real Madrid as if it were 2023 all over again. And for a brief period it felt like we were watching the very same team that demolished Los Blancos on the way to winning the treble. John Stones was sitting in front of the defence and boldly strolling around midfield; Kevin De Bruyne was ahead of him; Jack Grealish was strutting up and down the touchline, his foot stuck to the ball; Erling Haaland was heavily involved in attacks and scoring; Ederson was saving every shot he faced.
But City were soon reminded that the treble season was a distant memory, that two years is a long time in football and the same movie they have seen time and time again in 2024-25 started to play out. Grealish pulled up injured, De Bruyne's powers faded, Bernardo Silva was easily beaten in midfield, Ederson misplaced kicks and City threw away their lead, turning a lovely advantage for the second leg in Madrid into a daunting deficit that not even the most optimistic of Blues could see them pulling off. Pep Guardiola looked inconsolable in his post-match press conference while Stones was lost for words.
But on Saturday against Newcastle, City left their past behind and looked to the future, fuelled by their shiny new signings. Abdukodir Khusanov had Alexander Isak in his pocket, Nico Gonzalez patrolled midfield with power and elegance, giving no indication he was making his Premier League debut, and up front, Omar Marmoush scored a hat-trick in the space of 14 minutes, turning what was expected to be an unforgiving afternoon for City against top-four rivals into a highly enjoyable day out.
All of a sudden, Wednesday's trip to the Spanish capital looks far more appealing. Now City have plenty of reasons to believe that they can raid Santiago Bernabeu and come back with a last-16 place in their pocket…
GettyImpact signings
City have had an ever-growing list of problems this season, but against Newcastle it felt as if it only took two players for most of their issues to suddenly fade away. Khusanov enjoyed a fine display, especially after his nightmare debut against Chelsea, but the victory was primarily constructed by Gonzalez and Marmoush, the most lucrative and exciting acquisitions of the club's mega shopping spree in January.
Neither player started against Madrid, as Marmoush got just six minutes of action plus added time, coming on just as his new team capitulated from 2-1 up to 3-2 down. But if he and Gonzalez get the nod at the Bernabeu, City stand a real chance of turning the tie around.
Marmoush had not had the easiest start to life with his new club since his £59 million ($74m) move from Eintracht Frankfurt, with City being embarrassed 5-1 by Arsenal and then being given a real FA Cup fright by Leyton Orient. It was not the biggest surprise, then, that he was only on the bench against Madrid. But against Newcastle, he showed exactly why he was the second-highest provider of goals and assists in Europe's top five leagues behind Mohamed Salah, and why City were so keen to snap him up.
The Egyptian played off the left of City's attack and that was where he made his first move from, dancing into the area before firing over the bar. But from then on, he moved like a centre-forward and finished like one too.
AdvertisementAFP'He has something we miss'
Marmoush's first goal was an instinctive one-touch lob after latching on to a punt from Ederson. He took two touches to fashion the second goal, one to bring Ilkay Gundogan's threaded pass under control and the other to dispatch it into the bottom near corner. His third was relatively easy, put on a plate for him by Savinho, but he made no mistake with another first-time strike. As he celebrated the first hat-trick of his career, it was tempting to wonder how City might have fared had Marmoush started against Madrid.
"He has something that we miss for all the quality of our players, his pace in behind, he has a lot of pace, he's a good taker, a good finisher," said Guardiola. "I called some contacts in Germany because I have friends there. I asked a few things and there was a high opinion in many things; his behaviour in training sessions, goals. He's young and comes here to make his career."
Marmoush does not just offer goals and running in behind the defence; he offers a potent alternative threat to Haaland, who has had to shoulder an unhealthy amount of responsibility for City's goals this season. Before Saturday, the Norwegian had 39 percent of City's total goals in the Premier League, with 19 strikes. Phil Foden was next with seven goals – albeit with five of them coming within an 11-day period in January – and Josko Gvardiol was third with five. With that first-half haul alone, Marmoush shot into the team's top five of league scorers in 2024-25.
GettyTwin threat
Marmoush offers City's players more passing options and presents a twin problem for their opponents, who must now keep a lid on one of the most productive players in Europe in addition to trying to shackle Haaland. As former City goalkeeper Joe Hart put it on 'Match of the Day': "That threat is always there now. It's not just Haaland they have to take care of." Alan Shearer added: "Everything about his game was impressive. Already he has a good understanding with Haaland. Newcastle couldn't live with him."
Will Real Madrid be able to? Haaland finally broke his duck against Los Merengues last week at the fifth time of asking, but there was a sense that he was City's only real threat. The Champions League holders also had to field an improvised defence at the Etihad, but will be bolstered in the second leg by the return of Antonio Rudiger, who was Haaland's nemesis in last season's quarter-final tie. Now, though, the Germany international also has another problem to worry about in Marmoush.
Although it was not on display against Newcastle, Marmoush also has a formidable supply chain. In addition to his 19 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt in the first half of this season, he notched 11 assists in the Bundesliga and Europa League. There is a strong case for him to start against Madrid instead of De Bruyne, who had a minimal impact in the first leg.
Getty 'Mini-Rodri's' huge presence
While Marmoush understandably hogged the headlines on Saturday, Guardiola seemed keener to highlight the influence of his second-biggest signing from January. He waxed lyrical about Gonzalez, the £50m ($63m) deadline-day purchase from Porto, saying of the midfielder: "The presence of Nico helped a lot, the 50/50s. If there are 10 balls. he wins seven of them."
Guardiola also put the former Barcelona youngster in lofty company when he compared him to City's most influential player of all, whose long absence has cast a shadow over the team for the last five months. "He's like a mini-Rodri. It's a big compliment," Guardiola said, before quickly adding: "He's miles away from Rodri, he's the best, but we have the feeling he'll help us in the last part of the season with his presence. This presence that in the Premier League you have to have. His presence with long balls and [going] backwards where Rodri was really important."
Gonzalez lost all three of the tackles he attempted according to the post-game statistics, but he got a roar of approval from the Etihad faithful when he robbed Tino Livramento late in the game, putting his 6'2 frame to good use. Gonzalez's towering presence also helped free up Gundogan from defensive duties, which he has struggled with this season and indeed throughout his career. He also helped shield Khusanov and provided a further layer of protection along with Stones, who is looking like the player he was two seasons ago now he appears to have conquered his injury problems.
