Champions League: Walker will keep Vini Jr quiet- Benitez  

Champions League-winning manager with Liverpool analyses the key battles of Manchester City’s semi-final showdown with Real Madrid

‘’When you have defenders who are technically very good and comfortable in possession, you think: “What else can I do with this player? What else can this player do for the team?” Pep Guardiola with John Stones, Mikel Arteta with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jürgen Klopp with Trent Alexander-Arnold have all looked at things this way.

“By putting Stones into the middle of the pitch, it has allowed Guardiola to have plenty of possession, control of the game and an extra player in attack.

That has worked well. Stones has stepped forward from centre-back in recent games when Manchester City have been in possession with Kyle Walker, Rúben Dias and Manuel Akanji or Nathan Aké making a line of three. They are all comfortable there.

“But against Real Madrid, there is the threat of Vinícius Jr, who scored in the first leg of last year’s semi-final at the Etihad Stadium, who is trying to run into the space on the right of City’s backline.

“Also, Karim Benzema has very good movement. He likes to come between the lines which makes it difficult for two centre backs; it can be a massive gamble to leave him against just one. It is about risk and reward and trusting players.

“The pace of Walker is an obvious ploy against Vinícius and don’t forget he did well against Kylian Mbappé in the World Cup.

“In trying to have control, I think Guardiola will ask Stones to go higher when City are attacking and then when they are defending he will go deeper. He will jump between the two positions which demands concentration, but Stones has been performing very well. Credit to Pep Guardiola for exploiting the resources he has got.

“Real are much the same team as last season, although they do not have Casemiro any more of course. There is always a lot of focus on Vinícius Jr, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Benzema and the energy of Fede Valverde.

“But let us not forget Thibaut Courtois. When Real have been in difficult situations, he has always done very well for them. He is a world-class goalkeeper and his battle with Haaland is one to watch.

“Real scored six goals over two legs against City in the semi-final last season, including two in added time in the second leg when they looked to be heading out.

“In their past 23 matches in all competitions this season, City have conceded only 13 goals, and Guardiola has spoken about “defending properly” as being key to their progress. What does he mean?

“Firstly, it means they have plenty of possession because then the opposition does not have the ball and cannot score.

“But when they give the ball away, they press aggressively and because they are already on top of their rivals they can win it back quickly. Depending on the pace and counterattacking quality of the opponent, you can still be exposed and Real are good in this aspect. Balance, as always, is the key.

“Real consider the Champions League as their cup. If they do not win it this season, there will be disappointment, but that will not change how they view their relationship with the competition.

As a result, the pressure is on City, especially when you consider that this is the trophy they want above everything, and the amount of money they have spent in recent seasons.

There has been focus in the past on some of Guardiola’s selections in the latter stages and criticism of him. I see it differently.”