Pep defends City's lack of European success

Manchester, April 10

Manchester City are desperate to win their first Champions League but desire alone will not be enough to claim success in Europe’s top competition, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of tomorrow’s quarterfinal first leg against Bayern Munich.

Guardiola has won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four League Cups at City but European success has eluded the manager who won the trophy twice as Barcelona manager.

Under the Spanish manager, City have reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League for six straight seasons, with the English club’s best finish being runners-up in 2021.

When asked how much he wanted to win the Champions League title with City, Guardiola said “a lot”.

“We want to try. It is an honour to be here against an elite club in Bayern Munich. We will not take it for granted. We have to play two games. Starting tomorrow,” he said.

“The question has been coming every single season. We try every single season. Teams you face are good and want to win too. My dream is to live it again. We want to try but that doesn’t mean we are going to win. Michael Jordan won six NBA titles, how many years did he play? 16,” he added. — Reuters