Pep: ‘We’ll be going for goals in Monaco’
CITY BOSS SAYS HIS PLAYERS MUST SCORE IN SECOND LEG
PEP Guardiola predicted another goalfest when City travel to Monaco next month – and warned his players they face Champions League elimination if they fail to score in the south of France.
A remarkable fightback means City hold a 5-3 advantage from the thrilling first leg of their last-16 tie with the French league leaders.
But Guardiola was honest enough to admit he can’t see his side reducing Monaco to less than two goals when they meet up again.
“They will attack more and more and we have to defend better,” he said. “But we will have our chances. We are going to fly to Monaco to score as many goals as possible.
“We are not going to defend that result.
“We have to score goals. If we don’t score a goal in Monaco we will be eliminated.”
Monaco led 3-2 after 61 minutes, with Radamel Falcao also missing a penalty early in the second half.
But City turned the tie on its head – Sergio Aguero, John Stones and Leroy Sane handing them control at the halfway point.
But with Falcao and thrilling 18-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe, Guardiola knows it is too soon to think about a place in the quarterfinals.
“I would like to know how many teams have kept a clean sheet against Monaco this season,” said the City manager. “They always arrive in the box with a lot of players and a lot of talent.
“I’m so happy for the result because we are still alive.”
It was a night when City’s defensive frailties were laid bare, with Willy Caballero, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones all culpable for Monaco’s goals.
But Guardiola insists his side produced the type of football he promised to bring to the Etihad when taking over last summer.
“We attack in small spaces and defend huge spaces behind,” he said. “That’s why the people contracted me to come here.
“It is special for football when two teams play like that. Of course I am happier than my colleague from Monaco because at two goals behind we are out. “And if one team can score a thousand million goals it’s Monaco. “They arrive with six or seven players in the box and it is tough to control that on the counter attack. “The people in the stadium enjoyed it tonight. Football is like this when two teams want to be the protagonists. “You can have these type of games when it is like this. “It was special, I cannot deny that. It had ups and downs. “5-3, weird.”
We have to score goals. If we don’t score a goal in Monaco we will be eliminated Pep Guardiola