Pep Guardiola's shortcomings in the Champions League "say nothing about him" as the Catalan targets a first success since 2011.
The Manchester City boss won the competition twice during his Barcelona tenure, in which he oversaw arguably the greatest club side in history. Since leaving the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta Guardiola has been unable to get over the line with Bayern Munich and City.
He's reached the last four of better on six occasions since he left the Nou Camp, but has been unable to claim Europe's top prize, coming closest in 2021 when City were beaten by Chelsea in the final. Failure to win the Champions League has resulted in notable criticism.
Guardiola's dominant style, coupled with the resources he has at his disposal, has led to many judging him purely by his European performances. Clarence Seedorf though doesn't think his near misses take anything away from his style, with cup competitions allowing a variety of philosophies to thrive.
The former AC Milan star, a McDelivery Ambassador, said: "I think Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the best coaches around, he's also privileged to work with the best players, so that definitely helps.
"But there are more coaches that have been more successful in the Champions League, but when I look at Guardiola's work I applaud him for being able to play how he likes.
"They're competitive, but over the last few years, he has not been the winner, so that doesn't say anything about him, it says everything that football is not determined by one coach or one style, in my opinion."
Guardiola has been labelled an "over thinker" due to his approach in some of the Champions League's biggest games. His decision to play without a midfield anchor, leaving Rodri on the bench, for the final two years ago raised a lot of eyebrows as City were defeated.
That has been a pattern throughout his time at City, which has led to shock defeats at the hands of Tottenham and Lyon despite the Manchester outfit being immensely dominant domestically.
Both Guardiola and his star man, Kevin De Bruyne, admit City's desire to win Europe's top prize combines a dream with obsession - which they believe can be a healthy mix.
“It’s absolutely a dream. Absolutely,” said the Catalan. “To achieve things always you have to have the correct portion of obsession, desire. Obsession is a positive word. It’s a dream for all of us.”
De Bruyne echoed that sentiment as he said: “Maybe both [dream and obsession] it depends who you ask. Every professional player wants to win the Champions League and be on top. If you can win the Champions League, you’ve reached one of the biggest things you can.”
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