MANC ON A MISSION CITY SIGHTS ON LIONEL

Pep extended his stay at the Etihad to rebuild City in a bid to finally get his hands on the Champions League trophy... AGAIN!

IT is the glaring omission on his otherwise glittering Manchester City CV.

Pep Guardiola may publicly claim he is not obsessed with winning the Champions League again, but privately he is desperate to make it a hattrick of European titles as a manager.

That, more than anything, was the decisive factor in his decision to sign a contract extension with City that will keep him at the Etihad until at least 2023.

Despite his record-breaking success at City, which includes two Premier League titles, three League Cups and one FA Cup, Guardiola’s failure in the Champions League still stands out.

Three successive quarterfinal exits with City have seen Guardio l a’s European pedigree called into question, even though he led Barcelona to Champions League glory in 2009 and 2011.

Both those triumphs were inspired by the breathtaking majesty of Lionel Messi, with Guardiola unable to escape the uncomfortable truth that he has been unable to conquer Europe without the six-time Ballon d’or winner. L a st s e a s o n C i ty we re dumped out by Lyon. A year earlier Spurs brought down the curtain on their Champions League bid. And in 2018 they could not recover from a 3-0 defeat by Liverpool in the first leg at Anfield. In 2016-17 they did not even get to the quarter-finals, losing to Monaco at the last-16 stage.

At Bayern Munich his record in the top competition was only marginally better – he lost three semi-finals to Spanish opposition.

But now Guardiola has committed to a further two years, City will do all they can to reunite him with Messi in the hope that arguably the greatest player of all time can unlock the door to the one title to elude them.

Messi would arguably be the final piece in the jigsaw for Guardiola to lead City to European glory, with everything else in place for the 49-year-old to succeed.

The entire structure at City has been built to accommodate Guardiola, with the Catalan aware there is no other club in the world where he would be able to work so freely, without restraint or compromise.

He already had a close relationship with chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain from their time together at

Barca , and has a clo se a l l i a n c e w it h c h a i r man Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

As one City insider said of the culture within the club: “Everyone is in thrall to Pep.” That reverence has allowed Guardiola to build a support network that bends to his demands and helped him to set a new standard in English football.

Guardiola is appreciative of being able to work so unhindered and said his decision to sign a new deal was also largely down to the loyalty the club have shown him, in good times and bad.

“I saw many times in the bad moments how the people

here support me,” said the Spaniard. “Of course, Ferran and Txiki, but Khaldoon, our chairman, was the main reason I decided to continue.

“We had long talks this week and, in the end, we decided that the best for all of us was to continue, because still we have the feeling there is unfinished business and still there is something to do – continue what we have done in the last years.

“I would say that the main reason I signed the contract is our chairman. Especially after the conversations we had.

“He convinced me that we still have to move forward, to continue what we’ve done over these incredible last four years together.”

Guardiola, who took charge at the Etihad in summer 2016, has raised the bar to an unprecedented level in English football, with backto-back title wins achieved with 100 and 98 points. Last season Liverpool responded with 99 points, having finished runners-up to City the previous year with 97.

Now, on the back of his new deal, Guardiola must transfer that domestic success to the European stage and deliver the one trophy he and City are so desperate to get their hands on. landing the 33-year-old and believe the capture of arguably the greatest player of all time would catapult them to Champions League glory.

Guardiola’s new deal, worth an estimated £20million a year, will eventually take his stay at City to seven years, putting him second on the list of the club’s longestserving post-war managers.

“Ever since I arrived at Manchester City, I’ve been made to feel so welcome at the club and in the city itself,” said the Spaniard. “Since then we’ve achieved a great deal together, and we’re all very proud of that success.”

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (above) said: “It is testament to the qualities of the man that Pep’s passion and intelligent approach are now woven into the very fabric of the football we play and our culture as club. That impact has been central to our success during his tenure and it’s why I’m delighted that he shares our view that there is so much more to be achieved both on and off the field.”

But it’s the Champions League that Guardiola, who won it twice at Barcelona, wants above all and Messi is a central figure in that pursuit. The Argentina superstar tried to leave Barca in the summer but stayed to avoid a legal dispute.

His latest comments on returning to Barcelona from international duty would certainly suggest he remains unsettled.

Responding to questions about comments from Antoine Griezmann’s former agent that he was responsible for a “reign of terror” at Barca, Messi hit back saying: “The truth is that I’m a little tired of always being the problem for everything at the club.”