The perfectionist is aiming to be almost perfect. Manchester City have been wildly imperfect this season; it is why they think they are on the brink of their earliest Champions League exit since Roberto Mancini’s reign. Pep Guardiola won 6-2 on his first trip to the Bernabeu as a manager. He doesn’t need a similar scoreline but he may require a greater shock if his City are to knock out Real Madrid now.
Guardiola himself estimated their chances at 1 per cent. “I always say what I think and this time, you don’t believe me,” he said. “He doesn’t really think that just as we don’t think we have 99 per cent,” countered Carlo Ancelotti; a quintuple Champions League winner who has experienced too much to fall for any kidology. “We have a small advantage.”
