Pep Guardiola's offensive squad backfired in the 2021 final against Chelsea. Photo: Shutterstock/Jose Coelho
Pep Guardiola admitted that he may have made a mistake in the Champions League final two seasons ago.
Manchester City will take on Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday in hopes of winning the elusive inaugural European Steeplechase Cup. Guardiola says they have to move on to be considered a really big club.
And Guardiola says he hopes for a better result than in the final against Chelsea in 2021, when he unexpectedly gave up his first defensive midfield choice Rodri and watched his team lose at Porto » with a score of 1: 0. /p>
«It was the game plan [against Chelsea] just like on Saturday,» the City manager said. “If I tell you in private the reason why I made the decision at that moment, you could say that it was the right one, but it is simple: “If I lose, I am wrong, if I win, I am right.”
< p>“You have to accept it in this business. It was a tight game and in many ways we were better than them, but we lost. Would I do something different now? Maybe, but it doesn't count.»Last month, City clinched their fifth Premier League title in six seasons, and on Saturday they won the second double in Guardiola's seven-year reign by beating Manchester United in FA Cup final at Wembley.
But Guardiola admits that City — who could only become the second club in English football history after United to win the treble if they beat Inter — must conquer Europe to take their place at the top of the game.
< p> «Sooner or later we have to win in Europe to reach another level,» he said. «So many clubs have destroyed projects and ideas because they couldn't win this competition, and so many clubs have become big because they were able to win it.»
“Even if I do not share this opinion, I understand that everything we have done over the years, which was a lot and very good, will make sense for others if we win this competition.”
“If we don’t win, then everything will seem “extra”. It's a little unfair, but we have to accept it. That's the way it is.»
Guardiola added: «We also have to recognize that if we want to take the plunge as a big club, we have to win in Europe.»
“We have to win [the Champions League] – this cannot be avoided. But the most important thing is to be there again and again and again. Two years ago we were there [in the final]. Two years later, we are here again.”
“We will try, and the most important thing is to be here again in a few years. That's what makes a big club different when year after year you make it to the Champions League, fighting in the last stages and winning the title.»
Kyle Walker was the only notable absentee from training on Tuesday after complaining about problems with back after the FA Cup final.
«He had problems with his back — yesterday he was not in order» — Guardiola. said. “Today he was a little better. We didn't want to take any chances and we'll see in the coming days.»
However, Walker downplayed the problem and insisted he was ready to face Inter. «I'm fine, I'm just getting old! No, I'm fine,» said the England defender. «It's just an extra day of recovery.»
Despite the pain of losing the final against Chelsea two years ago, Guardiola said there was no mention of the game this week.
“I didn't talk about the final,” he said. “Some [players] were there, some were not. This is a completely different situation. It's not like two years ago or last season, we have to know exactly what we have to do to beat this opponent in terms of approach to the system they use and what they do with and without the ball.»< /p>
“[Two seasons ago] we lost twice to Thomas Tuchel's team [Chelsea] [reaching the final] and we had some doubts if we could do it. It's not the same thing, but they both play with five backs — Chelsea and Inter.
«The approach was also defensive, but of course Chelsea also had incredibly good schemes to play and punish us. I wouldn't say it looks like it, but there are some things [to consider]. I hope we can attack a little better than at the time.»
«History shows that they [Inter] are better than us. But it's about what you have to do to be better than your opponent in 95 minutes, and it's not about what you did in the group stage, in the Premier League or in the FA Cup. We have to be better than them.”
“In our club, I realized that excessive excitement is not good for us. We will go there to make our dream come true. We will try to show a good game and win the final. We know we had our chance two years ago. Last year we did it not with a minimum margin. This year we are back there and will try to do our best.”
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