‘I’ll rebuild to topple Klopp’
PEP KNOWS HE HAS TO REFRESH AGEING SIDE
PEP GUARDIOLA says he will have to rebuild his Manchester City squad if he is to close the gap on Liverpool next season.
City will give the newly crowned Premier League champions a guard of honour before tonight’s clash at the Etihad.
But Guardiola admitted his squad may need a different look in the next campaign if they are to make inroads or even reclaim their crown.
“We’d like to stay with the players who gave us what they did for the past decade but we grow in years,” he said.
“Sometimes we have to replace them with new players. It happens at all clubs, you never can be eternal, and we have to accept it and try to take the right decisions to maintain the level that we have.”
The exit of club legend Vincent Kompany left a huge hole in the side when he retired last summer.
And with Leroy Sane leaving for Bayern Munich, David Silva reaching the end of a decade at the club and Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero in their 30s and entering the final year of contracts, the need for renewal is clear.
“Some players have to be replaced. But it’s not a disaster thing, or bad thing, it’s part of football,” said the City boss.
“After we finish [the season] we will reflect. I want to take a little time to think with the club what we have to do, which players should we replace.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted but all we can do is accept it, learn from our mistakes and try and get the consistency we’ve had in the past and try to reply next season.”
Guardiola made no bones about the fact that the FA Cup semi-final and their last-16 second leg against Real Madrid are front and centre in his thinking.
But with his side in need of another eight points to be sure of a topfour finish, he is keen to put the Premier League campaign on the back burner as soon as possible.
And an early statement of intent for next season against Liverpool tonight would be perfect. “We’re going to make Liverpool feel it next season and fight for the next chapters,” said Guardiola. “But the challenge for now is to have a good game against a fantastic team, to compete like we did in the past.”
Guardiola praised Liverpool for rebuking fans who broke lockdown rules to celebrate the club’s title win.
Thousands of Reds supporters gathered in their masses in Liverpool city centre once Jurgen Klopp’s men had been confirmed as champions for the first time in 30 years with Chelsea’s victory over City last Thursday.
Some aimed fireworks at the historic Liver Building, ignoring Klopp’s pleas not to break social distancing rules.
Guardiola believes the Reds handled the situation well and says their fans should be more patient and celebrate when it is safe to do so.
Guardiola, whose mum died of the virus in Barcelona in April, said: “You celebrate because it’s important but now is not the time.”