Absolutely right. Last season, Real lost to a weak Barcelona, and Bayern practically lost the title to Dortmund (but they couldn’t take it in the last round) and City’s victory in the Champions League against the backdrop of such weakened competitors looked like a freebie. This year Bayern solved their problem with a striker, and although Real Madrid have not solved this problem, they have Bellingham + Vinny who are a nightmare for any defense. Taking into account the fact that now City also has problems with the squad, everyone is in an approximately equal situation, much will depend on the timing of personal meetings. If one team is in the optimal composition and the other is not, then of course this will greatly shift the chances.
Every team has its own problems after half a season. Most of them have lost strength due to injuries, but I think Bayer is the most stable so far. Entering this sprint stage, just one small mistake can cost a lot. The upcoming addition to the squad could be a big turning point for the rest of the season. In addition to the player factor, we need to take into account the experience of the Coach. If you have a strong squad but the coach does not managed well, the club will still able to lose. In this aspect, I appreciate Pep and Ancelotti the most.~
Guardiola has a lot of experience... in defeat
If I'm not mistaken, he is already a record holder or close to first place among coaches who reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Moreover, he always did this as a favorite and almost always lost, hehe. Therefore, I don’t know how good he is in this regard, as paradoxical as it may be to say that he (or his team) does not have a champion’s mentality. I will always remember the season before last when Real beat them and it was clear from the faces of the City players before extra time that they understood who would win.