For all the silverware Pep Guardiola has won at Manchester City, the Champions League has eluded him so far - and accusations of over-thinking his tactics are never far away. Given his pursuit of tactical perfection, Guardiola has more often than not proved his doubters wrong with trophy-laden spells in charge of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Man City.
But after winning the European Cup three times at Camp Nou - once as a player, and twice as a coach - the Catalan maestro has yet to get his hands of the famous trophy since 2011. In Munich and now Manchester, Guardiola has been outfought and out-thought by sides on tighter budgets and of more limited technical means. Though Chelsea boast a similarly fearsome transfer budget - until recently, at least - last season's defeat to the Blues in the Final will have stung Guardiola after Thomas Tuchel exposed his decision not to play a natural holding midfielder, with Mason Mount carving his side open to set up Kai Havertz for the only goal of a tight contest.
City are one game away from another Final this season, and hold a one-goal advantage over Real Madrid following a thrilling 4-3 semi-final first-leg win over Los Blancos in Manchester. Make no mistake though - Carlo Ancelotti's LaLiga champions will be confident of glory at the Bernabeu, especially with Ballon d'Or contender Karim Benzema leading the line. So, the big question is: Will Guardiola stick or twist with his tactics given what is at stake?
