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Guardiola speaks on winning Champions League

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3 years ago

July 3, 2022

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Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has said he would rather win the Premier League again next season than the Champions League.

City clinched their third title in seven years and Guardiola’s first at the club, with a record points, wins and goals total in the 2017/2018 season.

However, they were dumped out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Liverpool, who won home and away.

When asked by Gary Neville on the Monday Night Football special whether he’d rather win the Premier League again or the Champions League, Guardiola said: “Premier League. No doubt.

“It will be a huge mistake to think: ‘OK now we have the Premier League, we are now going to go for the Champions League instead’. Big mistake.

“To be out of the Champions League and win the Premier League again, I’d sign it now. The Premier League is the most important thing. It gives you the consistency to arrive at the right moment, the Champions League is so complicated the opponents are so good, all of them.

“The Premier League is the most important thing.”

Guardiola won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, but has not reached the final since, following a three-year stint at Bayern which saw three semi-final defeats.

Asked if he was desperate to win the Champions League again soon, Guardiola replied: “Desperate is not the right word, for Barcelona the first they won it was in 1992. Sir Alex Ferguson took his time to win it.

“It would be a big mistake tor Man City to be focusing on it, of course it will be a target, of course we will fight.

“But for us our big moments of the season when we were in November, December and we were real contenders for the Champions League, but that was because we were doing so well [in the league].

“That competition, you play at Anfield, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Roma, Bayern, United, Juventus, all of the big clubs.

“Of course we are going to try it, but I don’t think: ‘If we don’t win the Champions League in the next five years it will be a disaster!’ I don’t think so.”