Blues season can finish with a silver lining
GUARDIOLA DEFENDS HIS TEAM AHEAD OF CUP FINAL
PEP Guardiola used managerial greats Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger to talk up the record of his City team.
Having become the first side in a decade to retain the Premier League title when they held off Liverpool last season, the Blues look certain to relinquish their crown to Jurgen Klopp’s side this year.
City’s manager was proud to claim four titles last year including the Community Shield in a domestic clean sweep and they can still win three competitions by June, starting with the Carabao Cup final tomorrow against Aston Villa at Wembley.
While many discussions recently have been where Liverpool should fit in among the pantheon of the best teams seen in English football, Guardiola expects the Blues to be recognised by their supporters for the amount of trophies they have won.
“I am pretty sure the Manchester City fans are going to remember it,” he said. “Since we won the Carabao Cup as our first title together, we have played 11 competitions. If we win tomorrow, we will have won eight. Eight out of 11 at this level is incredible. And it would be the last six domestic titles in a row if we beat Aston Villa.
“There are no words to express my gratitude to these players. It is honestly so difficult to do it and to maintain that. Now we have played ten titles and won seven, so that is massive.”
Guardiola long ago gave up hope of winning the Premier League but has consistently praised the defence his side have put up.
As they sit 22 points behind
Liverpool in second place, City’s manager insists he is still proud of the performance of his players.
He said: “When you are in the final, you realise how difficult it is to arrive there. When people say you are not going to win the Premier League, that has happened.
“Liverpool would already be champions in Italy, Spain, France, everywhere. They have been extraordinary. But more important than that is trying to be there in the other competitions.
“The night after Madrid, we were calm. But when we landed back here, Madrid was absolutely gone in my mind and I was thinking about Aston Villa and after that Sheffield Wednesday because we want to get to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. That is the only way clubs become stronger every year.
“You lose games, you lose competitions, but you are there. We have a good points average to be champions, it’s not far from the points tallies of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, it’s just we have an incredible opponent. Wow, nothing to say.
“We can only learn from them. Our target is to imitate them. But to be in there again is good, the mentality is the same, to be starving, hungry to win another one.”