Killer instinct
. . . and I’m the target as my players will do anything to get to Champions League Final, admits Guardiola
SUNDAY MIRROR
PEP GUARDIOLA reckons his Manchester City stars would gladly kill him for a place in his team for the Champions League Final.
The Etihad boss insists the battle to start against Chelsea in Porto on May 29 begins now after City clinched his No.1 priority by winning the Premier League.
The Catalan knows his men have the brilliance to become European champions for the first time – but has now challenged them to prove who has the bottle to make that step into history.
Guardiola said: “I have an idea of my team because I know exactly how they all play.
“We have to start to prepare ourselves to compete in the best possible condition against Chelsea in the games we have to play before the final.
“We cannot arrive there and say, ‘Ah, today we will start to play’ because that will be too late.
“They all want it – and they will kill me to play. I know that... and it’s nice.
“It will be an incredibly tough decision for me, but I have to analyse the opponent and then decide.
“It’s tough telling players who miss a normal game in the Premier League, so can you imagine a Champions League Final? I have good relationships with the players, but in the end this is a business.
“This is a job. I’m sorry, not everyone can play.
“So, from now, I am going to observe the two games and the training sessions.
“I have to see the way I want to play, the way I want to defend, the mentality of the players, the guys who handle the pressure better than the other ones.
“And in that moment I will try to be honest with myself and the team and make the best selection possible.”
City have been beaten twice in a month by Thomas Tuchel’s side, losing in both the semi-final of the FA Cup and a
Premier
League clash at the Etihad.
But after adding the title to the Carabao Cup, Guardiola has no doubts about the quality of his squad. Champions League glory is held up as the pinnacle by City’s owners, but Guardiola regards domestic
dominance as the true measure of a team. He said: “We are delighted to be champions – more than you can imagine.
“But what makes us incredibly happy is that we have won five titles in 10 years, and three of them in the last four years.
“This means more than winning in one situation.
“Saying that, of course we are going to try to compete and win the Champions League.
“These guys are huge competitors and they want to do it. But I admire the human beings who wake up every morning and try to do the best job they can do.
“I admire those kinds of people all through society.
“Wake up and do your best. Afterwards you can win or you can lose.
“The Premier League is about working hard every day and playing every three days.
“It is about going to Newcastle to win. It is about going to Crystal Palace to win – going to Anfield and this season, finally, we win there.
“But I know the players want to be the best team in Europe, so how can I say it is not important?
“But for me, it is more important to fight for 11 months of the season than just six or seven games.
“This is what I think. And I always thought like that, even when I was in Barcelona and we won the Champions League twice.”
These guys are huge competitors
to and they want do it.. they want to be the best team in Europe