Three games from the summit: now for The Cartel. It is a key element of elite football’s febrile brand of double-think that the richest club in the world can still portray themselves as underdogs, outsiders, thieves in the temple. As Manchester City contemplate their Champions League semi-final first leg against the imperial meringues of Real Madrid on Tuesday night, there is still that lurking sense of novelty, of an entity that is, on some level, forcing its way in from the outside.
“It is an honour to be here in the semi-final against Real Madrid,” Pep Guardiola said at his pre‑match press conference, doffing his cloth cap and presenting his chipped enamel mug for another helping of turnip soup. “In the last decade we start to be here and it is an honour. We try to do a good game.”
