Pep Guardiola says Manchester City need to adopt the “take a shower and go again” attitude to winning at Champions League level. The Blues boss said his team are still learning what it takes to be at the very top level, despite reaching their first final last season.
Guardiola is hoping to lead them into a second successive final, with Real Madrid in town for tomorrow night’s semi-final first leg. But he says that when it comes to belonging among the elite, City are still a work in progress.
City beat Real Madrid home and away when they last met, in the 2020 tournament, and if they win at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow night will be the only team in Europe to have played them more than five times and still have a positive record - they have currently won two, drawn two and lost two.
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Regardless of that, Guardiola feels he is still having to guide his team towards a position where they truly belong with the Reals, Barcelonas and Bayern Munichs. He said: ”If we have to compete with history we don’t have any chance, they are better, it speaks for itself. But we have the desire to play against them - an incredible test and we want to improve.
“We are going to suffer together. When we attack do it as well as possible, it would be the same versus Bayern Munich or Barca. They’ve been in it many times. Before the last decade we were never here. Reaching the final is a good lesson for us and for the future it will be good.”
But the City boss accepts that reaching the final has heightened the expectations of those fans who were bitterly disappointed by the defeat by Chelsea in Porto last season: “It’s normal when you don’t win the Premer League for 20 years, now they want another.” he said. “Perspective must not be lost - reaching the Champions League is a big success, as is trying to win the Premier League.
“If you are Man City you have to win everything, play fantastic, four or five goals, that’s not the reality. This is a tough business for everyone, for all the managers and players and chairman, it’s a difficult business.
“Everyone wants to do it well. PSG and Leipzig are in the Europa League. It’s difficult. I give credit to the opponents and that’s why. Once we are here we are focused to beat Real Madrid. But if we don’t reach the final, I will not say it’s not good. I respect my players.
“The history is there, we cannot change it but it’s 11 v 11, the players will decide if the decision-making is good or not. We are playing a team who have been here many times, that’s why they have this – and we don’t.
“There are other issues and maybe we will have it and they don’t. We can’t imagine what is going to happen but it’s 11 v 11, move players, how strong they are mentally, that will make the difference.”
Guardiola made his telling “shower” comment when asked about the way Vinicius Junior has established himself as a key player at Real, saying he has the big-club mentality that City still need. “You play because you deserve it at these clubs, every day and every training session, that’s why big clubs stay there for a long time,” he said. “When you win, take a shower and go again. We are learning that.
“I felt that in Barca and we are trying to build that culture where we have to win every game and fight every game. I don’t think Madrid would buy a player who does not have the quality.”
Guardiola also baulked at the idea that reaching a second successive semi-final represented progress. He said: “Listen, as far as I’m a manager, it will never be accomplished, I’ll have another dream or target.
“We’ll decide with the club when it’s over, everyone can say if it’s good, bad, success, failure. It’s up to you. I’ll go somewhere else and try to do it again. Nothing changed when I won it, my life Is very different.
“I try to do my best. We try to do our best, suffer together when playing bad, hopefully as few minutes as possible. This is the motivation to do my job.”
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