WE’RE READY & MAD FOR IT
Guardiola: European ban does not affect our approach to Real clash
PEP GUARDIOLA says his Manchester City players do not need to use their Champions League ban as motivation when they take on Real Madrid tonight.
City have been expelled from Europe for two years for flouting UEFA’S Financial Fair Play regulations, pending an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
That means this season could be the last shot at Champions League glory for City, with the break-up of the team anticipated if their expulsion from Europe is upheld. But ahead of tonight’s showdown against 13-time winners Real, Guardiola believes the only desire his players need is to dethrone the ‘kings’ of the tournament and progress to the last eight.
Asked if he wanted his players to treat tonight as if it was their last chance of conquering Europe, he said: “No way. These players will have a lot of opportunities to win the Champions League in the future.
“I know we play the kings of this competition and I know the challenge we face, but at the same time it’s not the last chance. There’ll be other opportunities. You never know what’s going to happen.
“We play two games and in the first one we’ll try to be ourselves and play a good game.
“So no special motivation, even if it’s the last one. The desire has to be there – without that, it’s impossible. But it’s another game, that’s all.”
Despite his public rhetoric, former Barcelona and Bayern
Munich boss Guardiola knows this could be his last chance to deliver for
City the Champions
League, the one trophy to still elude him in his glittering four-year spell at the Manchester club.
The 49-year-old, brought in to help City conquer
Europe, has one year left on his current deal and there is no guarantee of him staying beyond that, particularly if they are exiled from Europe.
Asked if his record-breaking achievements at the Etihad will be forever tainted if CAS uphold the twoyear ban, Guardiola repeated his belief that he has faith in the club’s hierarchy, while admitting the appeal could fail.
“We were under suspicion for a long time, but we have the right to appeal,” said Guardiola. “I trust the people in my club. They explained the reasons, they showed me the arguments and the proof, and we’re optimistic that, if we deserve to be in the Champions League, we can do it next season. If it doesn’t happen, we have to accept and move forward with the people that still want to be here next season.
“But I trust the club, I know them, we have another instance (the appeal) and we’re going to see what happens with CAS.”
Guardiola has faced Real Madrid 17 times as a manager, winning nine, drawing four and losing four in all competitions. In four seasons in charge of Barcelona, Guardiola played seven times in all competitions at the Bernabeu, winning five, drawing two and, crucially, losing none. But he suffered a crushing 5-0 aggregate loss to Real in the 2014 semi-final when he was manager of Bayern – Real beat Madrid rivals Atletico 4-1 in the final – and knows he must get a decent result tonight to take back to the Etihad in three weeks.
Etihad playmaker David Silva, who leaves City at the end of this season after 10 years, said the players must block the UEFA ban out of their minds tonight.
“It’s not on us, we have to focus on playing,” said Silva. “The club is working on it, so it’s nothing to do with us.”