In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16, Manchester City suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat to Real Madrid away from home. British media have revealed the atmosphere in Manchester City's dressing room after the match.
The dressing room was filled with dejection and despair, with everyone remaining silent. The players even lacked the motivation to take a shower.
Leaving the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium felt like torture, with their legs exhausted and spirits crushed. They boarded the team bus much later than usual, still immersed in silence and shock.
Back in 2022, Real Madrid scored three goals in five minutes, completely ending Manchester City's Champions League campaign in what was an historic defensive collapse. Shock permeated the flight back to Manchester then, and it's safe to assume the atmosphere in the dressing room on Wednesday night was just as devastating. Federico Valverde's first-half hat-trick within 22 minutes has likely shattered City's Champions League dreams for this season - unless they can replicate the resilient spirit they showed after their semi-final defeat four years ago.
Bernardo Silva warned his teammates last week that these two weeks could define their season if they weren't careful. "We won't win many games in these weeks, but we could lose a lot," said the captain. On Saturday, they completed their first task at St. James' Park - with a heavily rotated squad, they came from behind to win and keep their FA Cup campaign alive. Their next opponents in the quarter-finals will be Liverpool.
However, if they do manage to progress strongly to the Champions League quarter-finals, they are likely to face a showdown with Bayern Munich - just like they did on their way to winning the treble that year. They must now produce their highest level of performance. In a way, this week's 0-3 thrashing seems even more dispiriting than that heartbreaking exit in 2022. After Guardiola made adjustments to a team that usually picks up points consistently, Manchester City looked completely toothless against Real Madrid.
If Manchester City truly wants to succeed this season, they must overcome this defeat. The team must accept the poor performances from everyone in Wednesday's match and take responsibility. Over the next week, Guardiola will find out exactly who he can trust.
Do they still possess the same fighting spirit that enabled them to defeat Real Madrid back in 2023? That thrilling attacking display was described by Spanish media as a "trap." We will have to wait and see, though current signs are not very promising.
Manchester City still have the Premier League title to compete for, and before traveling to West Ham United on Saturday, Bernardo Silva has a difficult task - to lift the team's morale.
Sources have praised the Portuguese midfielder's captaincy leadership this season. He took over the armband from Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne, reversing the fractured dressing room atmosphere from last year. He has united the team once again, but there's no denying that this is now his biggest challenge yet.
Given last week's draw with Nottingham Forest, there is no room for error in the league at a time when they should have been in control of their destiny. Despite having a game in hand, they are now seven points behind Arsenal, and they will face the league leaders at the Etihad Stadium. If Manchester City can win all of their remaining nine matches, the title will almost certainly be theirs. Usually at this time of year, Guardiola's teams go on long winning streaks, but this current Manchester City side is different, and their squad composition has never been tested so severely.
The match against West Ham United will largely indicate what the future holds - whether they have the same mental resilience and quality to bounce back. Even if Manchester City are eliminated with honor, the second leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday will be of profound significance. Bernardo Silva once said that "these weeks" were crucial, but now, time has been compressed to just four days.
