Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Blues will fight Reds for White
PEP GUARDIOLA insists his career should not be defined by the Champions League.
The Manchester City boss refuses to be judged on his failure to win a European title since leaving behind Barcelona to test himself in the Bundesliga and Premier League.
His three-year stint in charge of Bayern Munich saw the German giants fall at the semi-final stage on all three occasions in the Champions League.
And in his three previous seasons with City, the Blues had never gone beyond the last eight. Now, City face Lyon on Saturday in the quarterfinals of a unique minitournament arranged to take place in Lisbon, following the pandemic.
Eliminating 13-time champions Real Madrid to book their place in Portugal was a huge statement of intent by Guardiola’s side.
But the man who has dominated domestic competitions at both the Allianz Arena and the Etihad Stadium does not believe that greatness can only be framed in terms of Champions League success. Guardiola said: “If we don’t win the Champions League, I won’t see it as a disaster. What I leave behind here will be great. It will be awesome.
“I can assure all our fans that we are going to do everything we can to win the Champions League. But sometimes the opponent is better.
“I would love to win it. I loved winning it with Barcelona and I would have loved to have won it with Bayern Munich.” Guardiola, who lifted the Champions League as a player when Barcelona won it for the first time in 1992, also guided the Catalan club to European glory when he took over as coach.
But his last success was in 2011.
And three Bundesliga titles, two Premier League titles and a clutch of domestic trophies have led to suggestions that the Catalan struggles to beat the very best without the genius of Lionel Messi (below).
Guardiola has won 29 trophies in just 12 years as a manager, but he remains steadfast that his career must not be measured in silverware. Guardiola said: “It’s not about winning titles – it’s about relationships with the people I have met. My memories of Bayern Munich are incredible – and nothing is going to change that.
“Now I live in Manchester and I work at an incredible club and will have fantastic memories. Part of me is a manager, but I am a human being.
“I am a person. I live with people, I eat with them and we laugh and share bad moments together.
“And it’s going to change those relationships because we don’t win the Champions League? Honestly, no!” Guardiola added: “We always try to do our best to win – even when we play in the Carabao Cup. We’ve won the Premier League and we’ve won other domestic titles, but we know to win the Champions League is important for the club. “But if I left the club right now, I would be grateful for working at Manchester City. “Winning the Champions League would not be for me, the manager. It would be for the club and the supporters to say, ‘Yes, we have done it’. “Beating Madrid is an incredible achievement, but now there are no second chances if we make mistakes. If you lose, then you are out.”
CHELSEA are planning to hijack Liverpool’s move for Brighton defender Ben White – and ditch Antonio Rudiger in the process.
Frank Lampard’s overhaul of the leakiest rearguard in the top half of last season’s Premier League is about to get ruthless.
And it appears German international Rudiger will be one of the big-name casualties – along with out-of-favour Spanish keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Rudiger, 27, put in a poor display in last weekend’s FA Cup Final and the £29million former Roma centre-half’s departure would clear the way to fight for White’s signature.
The Seagulls central defender, 22, had a superb season while on loan at Championship winners Leeds.
Liverpool are poised to make an opening £20m bid for him – with Chelsea prepared to better anything on the table.
Brighton have slapped a £40m price-tag on the youngster, who is under contract with the Seagulls until June 2022.
Winning the CL wouldn’t be for me, it would be for the club and supporters