Guardiola knew what was coming from Atletico
Pep Guardiola instructed the help of Manchester City’s ball boys to try and prevent Atletico Madrid from time wasting during the Champions League clash on Tuesday night.
As reported by The Athletic, the Spaniard met with academy staff and discussed his plan for the ball boys, with the City boss well-aware of how Diego Simeone’s side were going to play.
The report states that the 51-year-old instructed the academy youngsters to provide a new ball as soon as the on-pitch one went out of play – whether it was to a Sky Blues player, or an Atletico player.
Guardiola recorded a video message with instructions
City’s ball boys – who are taken from their under-12 and under-14 academy sides – were told to concentrate on their role as if they were playing a game themselves.
Guardiola also recorded a light-hearted short video message for the academy players, which was shown to them prior to the match and explained that they would be part of the plan to defeat the reigning LaLiga champions.
The City youngsters were ‘nervous’ about their task
The Athletic report that, according to academy sources, some of the ball boys joked that they had never been as nervous before, but that they were proud at being asked to play an important role in such a vital game.
For those watching the clash at the Etihad on TV, the ball boys can be seen leaping over the advertising boards whenever required to try and reduce the stoppage in the match.
The youngsters quickly ran up to the Atletico players to hand them the ball, and they even changed who they gave the ball to if it appeared as though one of the visiting players was trying to waste time by passing the ball on to a teammate.
Guardiola’s men secured a 1-0 victory over the Spanish side thanks to Kevin De Bruyne’s 70th minute strike.
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