Warnock stay hint
Guardiola fears old pal could pile on the last-four pain again
PEP GUARDIOLA fears he could fall victim to his semi-final woes again today – at the hands of his former assistant Mikel Arteta.
For all his glittering success with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Guardiola has lost seven of the 21 semi-finals he has been involved in as a manager.
By his own admission, Guardiola has found semis a tougher hurdle to clear than finals, which is why he is wary about today’s Wembley clash with Arteta’s Arsenal.
Asked about the prospect of an all-manchester final with United, Guardiola cited his dubious semi-final record as a reason not to look too far ahead.
“I would say that United have to beat Chelsea and we have to beat Arsenal to do this,” he said.
“And on both sides, that’s not easy. I don’t know what to say, I’m not even thinking for one second about who our opponent could be in the final.
“I struggled a lot in my career in the semi-finals. It was easier in the finals.
“I handled them much, much better. It’s more difficult [in the semis], so after that we’ll see what happens. The players know it will be so tight.
“I have the same opinion of Arsenal and Mikel. My opinion didn’t change when they beat Liverpool or lost to Brighton, not for one second.
“So we expect a tough game. They have something special – team spirit. Mikel has created that. I’m pretty sure the right person to bring them back is in. They have the right man. I’ve a feeling he’s creating something unique. If they give him what he needs, they’ll be a contender in future years.”
City lost to Arsenal in the 2017 semi-finals, Guardiola’s first year in charge, since when he has led the Blues to two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups.
“It’s changed a lot since then,” said Guardiola. “What we’ve done in the last few seasons, people will think we’re the favourites.
“But I’ve never won a game before because I was the favourite or lost a game because I was not the favourite.
“We lost that day, it was a tight game but in that period, it was just at the beginning and we were still getting to know each other.
“Now it’s another semi-final and there are a lot of factors – the concentration, set-pieces, throwins, the minimal details.
“How strong you are in your head, how you are in the bad moments, how you overcome the bad situations, how you never drop, never give up.
“These games are about the mentality, not the tactics.
“We are ready to play another final and it will be a good test to see if we are ready to play against Real Madrid in the Champions League.”
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PEP GUARDIOLA has won 13 of the 14 finals he has been involved in as a manager, but lost seven of his 21 semis... 2009-10: Champions League: Lost to Inter Milan 3-2 on aggregate
2011-12 Champions League: Lost to Chelsea 3-2 on aggregate 2013-14: Champions League: Lost 5-0 to Real Madrid on aggregate
2014-15: Champions League: Lost 5-3 to Barcelona on aggregate
2014-15: German Cup: Lost on penalties to Borussia Dortmund after 1-1 draw
2015-2016: Champions League: Lost to Atletico Madrid, 2-2 (away goals)
2016-17: Arsenal
FA Cup: Lost 2-1 to
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NEIL WARNOCK has dropped the biggest hint yet that he is ready to stay on as Middlesbrough boss.
The 71-year-old answered chairman Steve Gibson’s emergency call last month with Boro in grave danger of relegation to football’s third tier for the first time since 1985.
But a point against his former club Cardiff at the Riverside today should keep Boro up.
Warnock insists he will not make a final decision until next week .
But he said: “I’ve always wanted to work up here, even before my days at Cardiff.
“And I’ve always fancied working for Steve Gibson but it has never come off for one reason or another. I want to show Steve what kind of manager I am.”