Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has indicated that the team is still a work in progress and requires additional time to get back to their former dominance after their recent UEFA Champions League elimination by Real Madrid.
City were knocked out for the third year in a row by the Spanish side, suffering a 2-1 defeat on Tuesday, with Vinicius Junior scoring both goals against a City team that played with 10 men after captain Bernardo Silva received a red card for handling a goal-bound attempt.
Much of the damage occurred during the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where Federico Valverde scored three times, handing Madrid a significant advantage.
Guardiola acknowledged that the early red card hampered his team's ability to challenge the 15-time European champions significantly, although he remarked that the contest was more competitive than last season's heavy aggregate loss.
Manchester City is currently undergoing significant changes, with Silva being one of the few players remaining from the squad that clinched four consecutive Premier League titles from 2021 to 2024.
"We are still not complete. There are instances where we need to be more clinical, but I believe it will just take time," Guardiola expressed.
He added, "The reality is we are not a complete team. I've been on a Manchester City team that was complete in all aspects. We may not be there yet, but we have a final to play on Sunday and important games ahead."
City will have the opportunity to respond quickly, as they prepare to face Arsenal in the League Cup final. However, they trail Arsenal by nine points in the Premier League standings and will also confront Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals next month.
Despite winning the Champions League in the 2022/23 season, Guardiola reflected on the fact that having only one European title in ten years slightly tarnishes his record.
He expressed his desire for City to match the standards set by Real Madrid, where failing to win the Champions League is deemed a disappointment.
"I would want this club to be similar to Madrid, where if you do not win the Champions League, it is viewed as a failure. That creates pressure," he stated.
"At City, that is not yet the expectation. Perhaps in the future, we will reach that level."
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to comment.
Be the first to comment on this article!