For the first time, Pep Guardiola has declared that his incredibly successful reign at Manchester City will “not be complete” if the team does not win the Champions League. A drive that Erik ten Hag and Graham Potter should also instil in themselves.
Guardiola has won the FA Cup, four League Cups, and five Premier League titles since taking over as City manager in the summer of 2016. However, he has yet to guide the team to the Champions League championship and has historically downplayed the significance of achieving so.
Guardiola was questioned about if winning the most prestigious club championship in Europe had played a role in his decision to accept a one-year contract extension with an option to extend it till 2025.
Guardiola stated, “It’s not the only one but I admit it’s the trophy we want and my period here will not be complete if we don’t win it.”
He then added, “But that’s not the only reason [I signed]. I will do everything in the time we have together to win it but I’d say the same before [signing]. It’s the trophy we don’t have and we’ll try to do it. I have the feeling they [City] will get it sooner or later. We’ve tried in the past, even in the first season even though we went out in the last 16. So we will try with all our strength.”
“I have the feeling that those who were at the World Cup are in better condition than players who weren’t, the players who didn’t go lack rhythm, the ones who come back have been competing and trained every day,” Guardiola stated.
“Players who were not at the World Cup and who play can get the rhythm tomorrow so we have to do it with what we have. Step by step they come back – we have six players back [already] and are happy they are back, in general they played really well and had an incredible experience.”
Fan reaction towards Guardiola’s statement
Pep Guardiola says that his reign at Manchester City will be “incomplete” if he does not win the Champions League while at the club. pic.twitter.com/TL4ghyDmLW
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) December 22, 2022
The statement by Guardiola is still fresh in the people’s mind and the comments are just about flooding in. Some are not confident enough that Guardiola can even win this year’s Champions League, regardless of having powerhouses like Haaland onboard his team.
Others are implying that he should “spend another billion,” a remark that was made by other team managers claiming that City is using “Arab” money to fund their club. Opposing fans claimed that it is time for Guardiola to retire.
"Pep used to call me about English teams and how to play against them!"
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on his relationship with 'idol' Pep Guardiola 👀🎙️ pic.twitter.com/iOrrFq4qNZ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 21, 2022
However, on the bright side, Arsenal’s manager, Arteta made a statement recently claiming that the two are as thick as thieves. Arteta and Guardiola have a tight knit relationship and used to talk to each other about the English Premier League.
Not sure if they’re talking about it now as they are both leading each other’s competition. Now, others are stating that Arteta might even win the Champions League. Would it be a competition between long time friends on winning this particular cup? Or are they secretly coordinating with each other to win separate cups for each season?
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