Champions League: Pep Guardiola's Manchester City aim to advance in 'most open' competition

1 year ago 51

Man City brag Pep Guardiola connected value of winning the Champions League

Manchester City purpose to instrumentality different measurement person connected Tuesday to the 1 rubric that has eluded them - the Champions League.

Boss Pep Guardiola says helium volition beryllium judged connected occurrence successful the contention but does this twelvemonth correspond their champion accidental of becoming European champions?

"There's not an outstanding team" successful this season's tourney says pundit Chris Sutton, portion shot writer Rory Smith feels the contention is "not arsenic daunting" arsenic successful erstwhile years.

City, 2nd successful the Premier League, volition unafraid a spot successful the quarter-finals if they triumph their last-16 2nd limb astatine location to RB Leipzig aft a 1-1 gully successful Germany.

Bayern Munich, Chelsea, AC Milan and Benfica are the teams already through, portion Real Madrid clasp a 5-2 vantage implicit Liverpool, with Italian sides Napoli and Inter Milan starring aft their first-leg matches against Eintracht Frankfurt and Porto respectively.

Of the teams near successful the competition, lone Bayern, Napoli and Benfica are apical of their home leagues.

Riyad Mahrez scoring for Manchester City against RB Leipzig

"This play is precise odd," added erstwhile Blackburn striker Sutton connected BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"If you had a conjecture who you would marque favourites for the Champions League, would we not each accidental Napoli astatine the moment?

"But I don't deliberation we've seen Manchester City astatine their best, that could beryllium ominous, and they find ways to win.

"It's arsenic unfastened arsenic it's ever been and there's not a truly outstanding squad wherever successful erstwhile seasons you could reason differently."

Smith, of the New York Times, added: "It feels similar the tract is simply a spot much unfastened and somewhat unfamiliar, and to beryllium honest, amended for it.

"Real, City and Bayern are the 3 established powers and looking however the tract is falling volition beryllium reasoning they are the 3 outstanding teams.

"City should astir apt beryllium favourites and volition beryllium reasoning 'Barcelona aren't there, Liverpool aren't there, Arsenal, the signifier squad successful the Premier League, weren't successful the competition, it is not rather arsenic daunting arsenic it would beryllium normally'.

"City should beryllium reasoning 'this is simply a truly bully accidental to close the wrongs of the past six years'."

I'll beryllium judged connected Champions League grounds - Guardiola

City person won 9 large trophies since Guardiola took complaint successful 2016, but person ne'er been European champions and helium was asked whether his spell would beryllium defined by occurrence successful Europe's premier cupful competition.

"It doesn't mean I hold with it but, absolutely, I'll beryllium judged connected that," said the 52-year-old Spaniard.

"Before my archetypal crippled successful the Champions League [with City], radical said I was present to triumph it.

"I said 'what?' I don't know, but I judge it. As overmuch arsenic I spell through, it's not going to change."

Pep Guardiola walks past the Champions League trophy

The closest they person travel to Champions League glory was erstwhile they reached the 2021 final, wherever they lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

A late fightback by Real Madrid prevented City returning to the last past season, but successful Guardiola's archetypal 4 seasons astatine Etihad Stadium they failed to advancement past the quarter-finals.

City were upset by French sides Monaco and Lyon, portion suffering agonising exits against Premier League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham, with the second coming aft VAR played a large relation successful the result of a thrilling 2nd limb astatine the Etihad.

In November, Guardiola, who won the Champions League doubly arsenic Barcelona coach, signed a two-year declaration hold to 2025 and said helium wanted "to enactment and proceed warring for trophies".

"We've not won it but we've done truly good successful the Champions League," said City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.

"I cognize radical basal everything connected lone winning but I consciousness there's been a batch of circumstances successful these benignant of games - the Madrid game, the Tottenham crippled wherever we deserved to spell done but didn't. These are moments successful games wherever these things happen.

"Obviously I privation to triumph it but I cognize that, arsenic agelong arsenic we don't, I'll travel present and get the aforesaid questions and I'm good due to the fact that radical justice you connected that.

"We conscionable effort to triumph these games and beryllium the champion radical and squad we tin be."

Guardiola tells De Bruyne to absorption connected 'simple things'

De Bruyne has registered 17 assists successful 34 appearances this season, 3 much than the two-time Premier League subordinate of the play managed successful 45 games past term.

But Guardiola has started the Belgium midfielder connected the seat successful 4 of City's past 9 top-flight games and has told the 31-year-old to absorption connected the "simple things" to get backmost to his best.

"It's been a hard play for each of us, maine included, [because of] the World Cup and galore things," said Guardiola.

"I'm not going to observe Kevin. Kevin has an quality to bash it. What I'd similar - I spoke galore times to him - is [for him] to spell to the casual principles and bash it well.

"He has an unthinkable quality to marque an assist, to people goals and spot passes similar no-one else, but I ever person content they volition summation and volition get amended erstwhile [players do] the elemental things...

"When the elemental things are done perfectly and we are successful the close moment, the actions to make unthinkable passes that helium - lone helium - tin find, it volition beryllium easier, it volition beryllium better."

How to travel Manchester City connected the BBC banner