‘I know’ Guardiola makes Man City vow for next season after Real defeat
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about what he thinks will happen next season after another Champions League defeat
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola is certain that Manchester City will be better next season after they failed to make the Champions League quarter-finals for a second straight year. But the manager can still not confirm if he will be in charge to oversee the improvement with claims in the game that he will not see out the final year of his contract.
City qualified directly for the last-16 this season as a result of a top-eight finish in the first phase of the Champions League, a significant improvement on last term when they scraped into the play-off and were well beaten by Real Madrid. However, they were left ruing missed opportunities in both legs of this year’s tie with their Spanish nemesis as they crashed out with a 5-1 aggregate defeat.
Already 3-0 down from the first leg, the Blues took the game to Real early at the Etihad but effectively conceded the tie after 20 minutes when Bernardo Silva was sent off for handling Vinicius Jr’s shot in the box and the Brazilian converted the penalty that was awarded for it. Erling Haaland got City level on the night but they could not score more and Vinicius netted again in injury time to make it defeats home and away for Guardiola’s side.
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City’s manager was still proud of his side in their defeat, feeling that they were a lot closer to Real than the scoreline suggested. And while he knows that they are not as complete a team as some of the previous City sides that he has led, Guardiola reckons that they will be better next year.
“Last season I felt next season would be better and it has been, I have the feeling will be better (again),” he said. “The fact I’m saying it today after being beaten 5-1 on aggregate it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen (but) it’s my feeling because I know them, I know the quality they have but the seasons are so long and the balance of the team, of course there are many things to improve but in the end they have pride.
“Of course it’s not easy, 70, 75 minutes 10 against 11 against Real Madrid. In the end how many shots, we tried with Rayan and Jeremy and Erling, everybody made their contribution, Khusanov, everybody was absolutely there. Listen, when we are out (of the Champions League) and our position in the Premier League, still we are not a complete team, that is the reality, I’m not going to (deny it).
“I’ve been at Manchester City when we were a team in all the different aspects that define a team, and still we are not, but in terms of that we have a final on Sunday, we have the FA Cup against Liverpool here, the Premier League still to fight (for) and finish well the Premier League. Prepare good decisions for next season and next season and next season we will be back in the Champions League. That is what we have to do.”
However, when asked if he is intending to remain at City next season given he spoke of collective improvement, Guardiola rowed back and said that he will always speak of the team in the plural whether he is in charge or not because of the affinity that he has with the club.
“When I am retired in 10 years, and City are in the Champions League, I will say I will be back, because I am part of that,” he said. “Like at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, when I have been there I am part of it. I am incredibly attached to that club, that organisation because it has been one decade, and when I say we it’s because I’m part of that. I’m part of that.”
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