Lionel Messi story shows Pep Guardiola change ahead of 72 hours that define Man City season

It is in the story of how Pep Guardiola converted Lionel Messi into a false nine where his inability to switch off from football reveals itself. It's 10pm on April 30, 2009, the day before another Clasico, and the idea comes to Guardiola as he watches videos of previous Real Madrid matches.

The tale is told in Marti Perarnau's book Pep Confidential and reveals that Guardiola immediately summoned Messi to his office at the training ground and the plan was explained at 10.30pm on the eve of the game. The following night, Messi tore Real apart and the position of a false nine entered the football lexicon.

It was typical of Guardiola's intensity in his early years in management that he would be sat alone at the training ground, long after his staff had left, watching videos, looking for clues and ideas. It's why he was burnt out after four years in Barcelona and lasted just three in Munich. Nobody saw a reign of at least eight years coming in Manchester.

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But over time Guardiola has learnt to switch off and in a week like this, it is vital. This is almost always the most dangerous week of City's season. It is where dreams of a double, a treble and a quadruple are tested to the limit and - occasionally - when those dreams die.

For the fourth season in a row, the Blues play a Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday night before an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday. Only once in the previous three occasions have they escaped from the week unscathed. That was last season, and we all know what happened next.

With all due respect to their opponents, that was also a semi-final against Sheffield United, on their way to promotion from the Championship at the time. In 2021/22, getting past Atletico Madrid and Liverpool in the same week proved too difficult. The year before, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea couldn't both be swept aside.

So it is that this week presents a challenge at least on a par with those. After the weekend's Premier League results, the prospect of a second successive treble is in view, but the path to greatness will only become clearer if they can get past what is certainly the difficult week of the season.

That was an assessment Guardiola nodded along to on the eve of the quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, but whereas once the prospect of Real on Wednesday and Chelsea on Saturday in two do-or-die games would have kept him up all night, now he can see the light. There will be no burning of the midnight oil this week.

"I'm used to it. It's better to be here than not here. I would not complain one second about that, it is what it is," said Guardiola.

"Work more days to prepare but it is what it is. [There are] 24 hours a day is a lot so you can find a way, you have a lot of people to help you because what is important is to take the right decisions. That's what you think more of.

"We know them, they know us, we have to be wary of surprises like Carlo [Ancelotti] did in the first game. The right mentality, ready to suffer and ready to go to the end. It never ends until it ends. We always had momentum at the Etihad so hopefully extend that for as long as possible and in that way always we can do it."

Guardiola's response to this week in recent seasons has been to make changes for the FA Cup semi-final. They made eight changes against Chelsea in 2021, seven against Liverpool in 2022 and six against Sheffield United last year.

That would suggest more are likely this weekend, although for the first time, the Champions League game is at least at the Etihad, while the previous three were in Dortmund, Madrid and Munich. They will be facing a Chelsea side who have had since Monday night to prepare and will be confident heading into the game, having thrashed Everton 6-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The dangers that lie ahead between 8pm on Wednesday and 8pm on Saturday are why Guardiola is reluctant to entertain talk of another treble just yet. It is 72 hours that could define not just their season, but their place in history.