GUARDIOLA: This team are now all legends
BLUES BOSS HAILS HIS PLAYERS AFTER FOURTH TITLE IN FIVE YEARS
PEP Guardiola called on City’s players to be hailed as legends after they came from two goals down in the final 15 minutes of the season to beat Aston Villa and claim a fourth Premier League title in five years.
The Blues boss, who was tearful at the final whistle, admitted his side had felt the pressure of the week and the occasion, with them knowing they were so close to winning the league.
The half-time message, with City trailing, was simply to get one goal to get themselves back into the contest, and one quickly became two and then three as Aston Villa stretched their lead.
Guardiola accepted that their cool heads went out the window in such an emotional game, but having come through the challenge, he argued that his players deserved to be heralded as some of the best seen in English football.
“Always I had the feeling when we arrived in the stadium that we needed a goal,” he said.
“After, when we talk about today’s big data - numbers, numbers where was today the big data when you play these 90 minutes with this emotion?
“This game is the most difficult to win. This game is the most difficult to close, 10months is so difficult.
“It’s like the service to win Wimbledon is the most difficult one.
“We got the first (goal), were fortunate and lucky to win the second one so quick and after, when we saw the time still to play, we had momentum and we got it.
“All the team did it, as always. Otherwise you cannot achieve what we have done in the last five or six seasons.
“Four Premier Leagues - these guys are legends already, people have to admit it.
“This group of players are absolutely eternal in this club because what we achieved is so difficult to do. Just Sir Alex Ferguson with United has done it years ago two or three times - now again I realise the magnitude of Sir Alex Ferguson and his United doing this - and we are part of that. In one year, we will defend our crown.” Asked how he masterminded such an unlikely turnaround, Guardiola joked that Real Madrid had given him some tips after flipping their Champions League semi-final against City on its head earlier in the month. “Well, I called Real Madrid and they gave me good advice,” he said with a smile. “This was the reason why.
“Listen, no explanation in Madrid, no explanation today. It’s momentum. “Sometimes it’s nice to live these kind of situations. We live it for the future. I had a feeling that it will help us to be stronger next season. “Maybe we need a little bit more time but every second that passes
This group of players are absolutely eternal because what we achieved is so difficult to do
after winning this Premier League, we realise that four leagues in five years in this country is probably the best achievement we have done in our careers.
“It’s incredible. We’ll be so proud for a long, long time.”
Thousands of fans ran onto the Etihad pitch in celebration at fulltime, with the party set to continue long into the night and into this evening’s open-top bus parade in Manchester city centre.
“The atmosphere was the best I ever lived since I am here,” Guardiola added.
“The last games against Newcastle and Real Madrid the Champions League at home was incredible, but today was so, so special.
“Hopefully tomorrow we can celebrate together in Manchester’s streets with our cigars and beers. I will bring my cigar, don’t worry.”