Before the encounter with Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, coach Pep Guardiola had remarkable shares.
“Definitely I want to win the Champions League. My goal is to win every competition this season, from the Premier League, FA Cup and of course the Champions League,” said the Man City captain in a press conference before the encounter with Bayern Munich in the middle of this week. “People say I think too much about tactics? Only because we lost.
I am not a coach living in the past. I congratulated Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea when they beat my team in the final. I received criticism when we failed. If even one shot went into the net, we would have won. We have to accept that. I was considered a genius when the team won, and considered “overthinking” if I lost. I made the best decision at that time.
Before every game, we plan every situation. If it goes as planned, I’m right, otherwise, I’m wrong. Just as a coach fired and his successor did well, they said it was the right decision. If a coach is not as good as his predecessor, people say they miss the old coach. I want to win the Champions League, but even legends like Jack Nicklaus (golf) or Michael Jordan (basketball) lose more than they win.”
Sharing about the opponent on the other side of the line, coach Pep Guardiola replied: “Tuchel is a creative coach, he has the ability to connect and build the team. Bayern have good running feet and are very good at exploiting space. Tuchel went to Paris, won the domestic league and helped the team reach the Champions League final. He went to Chelsea and won the Champions League.
It is very difficult to face Bayern Munich, whether under Nagelsmann or Tuchel. We will try to analyze their strengths and find a countermeasure. Bayern Munich is not a club that defends and waits for the return to continue. If they defend, it means City attack well and if we defend, they play well.”
Finally, talking about the influence of Erling Haaland, the striker who has scored 44 goals so far this season, Pep said: “It is very important to have a striker who can score goals, but Man Utd City have been good in attack for many years. Against Monaco, we scored six goals and were eliminated. Against Tottenham we scored four goals and were eliminated. Against Real Madrid, we scored five goals and were eliminated.
Man City has scored a lot of goals. We can score goals from the centre-forwards, the virtual strikers, the wingers. We always score goals but that’s not the point.”