Possession nine-tenths of the law for Guardiola

It was to be expected in the press conference, but that’s perhaps also why Bayern Munich so relentlessly now live up to expectations on the pitch.

On the eve of the European champions’ trip to Arsenal, and in the one moment when a relatively calm Pep Guardiola began to get a little more intense, the Catalan coach growled that his side would be coming to the Emirates with the intention of absolutely dominating this last 16 tie.

“When tomorrow we leave the ball to them, we are going to suffer,” Guardiola acknowledged, before offering a warning. “Tomorrow, the most important thing, me [thinking] like a trainer, the players [thinking] like players, the team will take more of the ball, dominate the ball, we are going to get the chance.”