There will be no sitting back by Manchester City on Wednesday night. A three-goal advantage, maybe, but Pep Guardiola knows how things can turn at the Allianz Arena.
If they cede ground early then Bayern Munich are suddenly alive, putting City’s third consecutive Champions League semi-final place in jeopardy. Guardiola wants them to attack in measured fashion, not simply hold what they have.
That message is likely to be heeded by a team who, should they progress on Wednesday, are inching closer to a serious discussion about the Treble after winning their last 10 games in all competitions, scoring 37 goals while doing so.
They are barely recognisable from those who were criticised by captain Ilkay Gundogan for lacking the correct attitude and desire after a defeat at Southampton in January.
‘We had talks but everything that has happened was mainly on the pitch,’ Gundogan said. ‘You feel like it clicks on the field. Maybe up to Southampton in the cup it didn’t feel like it was 100 per cent clicking. Sometimes it just clicks and you know this is the way to go. Now it feels a perfect fit for everybody.’
Not a bad time for that to happen. On Tuesday night Thomas Tuchel called City the ‘benchmark’ across Europe and yet this trophy is still elusive. Guardiola insisted that they cannot learn anything from past experiences, although Gundogan appeared the opposite.
‘Being so close has increased the desire,’ Gundogan said. ‘The further you get, the bigger the hunger to win it.’
It might well be Gundogan’s last chance on the grandest stage. Out of contract in June and with heavy interest from Barcelona, the German confirmed last night that he is yet to make a decision. Part of that is to do with his own body.
‘My physical condition [plays a part],’ he added. ‘There are talks in the background. They are continuing, nothing is decided.’ Guardiola has stated that he is desperate for him to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
‘We have been together for seven years. it has been amazing, we have won a lot together and to hear things like that of course brings me joy and a smile.’
For now, on the night, City require Gundogan’s calmness. This could end up an easy assignment yet has potential to turn dramatically.
‘We are here for business,’ Guardiola said. ‘We are here to win. Handle the emotions. We need solidarity like a big team. I didn’t say to the team, “be careful it’s Bayern Munich,” because they are not relaxed, they know it. When you are yourself, you are closer to being what you are looking for. We’re reaching a level that is quite interesting for us. The players want it.’
Contrast that to Tuchel. This place did not feel like home to a European powerhouse last night. Tuchel’s pragmatism felt so real that it bordered on self-defeating.
‘We need a wonder, a miracle,’ he said. ‘It would be a miracle. It's a huge mountain to climb and that's why we need to believe in ourselves but we don't want to be dreamers. Dreaming for me is always close to sleeping.
‘If you only look at the top of this huge mountain, you’ll feel overwhelmed. The challenge is tough enough, we don’t need to make it tougher.’
Although laying it on thick, Tuchel was right. The backdrop is not pretty for a club he only took over a matter of weeks ago, with the first leg fallout including Sadio Mane punching Leroy Sane.
Guardiola wondered if the spat, which saw Mane fined more than £250,000, would galvanise a team in need of a lift, although the forward’s other punishment – a one-match suspension – was to watch a dour 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim.
‘I hoped we’d use it against Hoffenheim which we obviously didn't,’ Tuchel said. ‘I know what he means - this energy in the dressing room shows the determination and that the players are not happy, players angry, with themselves, with each other, which is also a form of energy.
‘It was too much but still, I see the point that Pep mentioned. We thought that we turned around the momentum, to use it as positive energy in our last match, and it did not happen. There was no spark. There is something missing, there doesn’t seem to be enough self-confidence. We are thinking too much.
‘Now it’s different talking to the players, you don’t have to talk about belief. You need to be realistic. I don’t know if talking about a 4-0 [win] is appropriate, I don’t know.’