In a fit of genius, Pep Guardiola overthought things. He omitted his defensive midfielders, stationed his top scorer in front of the back four and crowbarred another winger into the team. This would outwit Thomas Tuchel. This would get the elusive Champions League win.
It didn’t, of course. Tuchel’s Chelsea capitalised on the absence of a destructive presence at the base of the midfield to score the only goal in the final. Rodri watched on from the bench, an unused substitute. He had started 46 games in the season, but not the biggest of City’s history. That was 2021 and Tuchel joined Guardiola in the band of Champions League winners.
