Pep Guardiola addressed the media ahead of Manchester City’s upcoming Premier League clash with West Ham, but much of the discussion inevitably turned to City’s recent Champions League encounter with Real Madrid.
The City manager admitted that expectations are not particularly high for a comeback in the second leg, acknowledging the difficult position his side finds themselves in.
“Not many bank dollars have been bet on us coming back,” Guardiola said. “So we’ll see on Tuesday.”
Guardiola was also asked
whether his team selection in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu was too attack-minded. The Spaniard defended his decisions, insisting that every lineup choice is made with the team’s best interests in mind.
“I always think about what is best for the team,” he explained.
The City manager also pushed back against criticism regarding his approach, emphasizing that setbacks in the Champions League are nothing new in his career.
“I’ve lost many times in the Champions League knockout stages, countless times,” Guardiola said. “I’ve been hit by refereeing decisions and by different situations that happened in games. It’s not the first time. Even so, I’m still here in this position until the very last day.”
Guardiola suggested that criticism of his tactical decisions often comes after the result is already decided.
“I can discuss the decision regarding the lineup, but I’m not going to convince you because we lost,” he said. “If the discussion had happened earlier, I would understand it more.”
Despite the defeat, Guardiola maintained that there were positive aspects to City’s performance in Madrid.
“I have an opinion about the Madrid game and it’s not going to change,” he said. “We did some very, very good things. And in the others, of course we could have done better.”
In particular, Guardiola highlighted the opening phase of the match as one of City’s best stretches at the Bernabéu.
“The first 19 or 20 minutes, before the first goal, were exceptional,” he said. “It was some of the best we’ve played at the Bernabéu in terms of showing that we came to create danger. We were a real threat.”
However, Guardiola admitted that the momentum shifted once the match began to slip away from City.
“Then the emotions started to get the better of us,” he explained.
For now, though, Guardiola is eager to turn the page and concentrate on domestic competition before revisiting the Champions League tie.
“West Ham,” Guardiola said. “Now it’s West Ham. We’ll have time to think about Real Madrid later.”
