Pep Guardiola has defended Manchester City’s failure to win the Champions League, noting that even sports greats Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan lost more often than they won.
City have reached the quarter finals for the sixth consecutive season, but have yet to lift the trophy. On Tuesday night, City will play Bayern Munich in a first leg at Etihad Stadium.
City came close to winning the Champions League under Guardiola two years ago, when they made their only appearance in the final but lost 1-0 to Chelsea in Porto.
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Guardiola won the Champions League twice during his time coaching Barcelona and he understands that since arriving in England there has been an expectation that he can lead City to European success, saying: “We want to try.”
“To be here against such an esteemed club as Bayern Munich is truly an honor and we are immensely proud.” We look forward to making the most of our opportunity in Germany.”
“You must earn it. Six or seven years ago when I arrived here, the message was clear: ‘you are here to win the Champions League’. Every season since then it has proven true.”
“Every season, we strived to win but there are other teams who are just as capable and determined to succeed,” added DeBlasio. “No team is unbeatable; these people want it too!”
We want to try, but that doesn’t guarantee success. Jack Nicklaus played in 120 majors during his career – how many did he win? 18! That is an incredible number; more majors than he won in total!
“Michael Jordan, the greatest athlete ever, won six NBA titles over sixteen years. But he also lost more games than he won. These contests can be so difficult; our goal should always be to stay here and do our best – even if that means losing. Nobody ever says perfect,”
Praise for Tuchel
Bayern were led by Julian Nagelsmann when the quarter final draw was made, but last month Thomas Tuchel — who managed Chelsea when they defeated City in 2021 in the final — took their place.
Tuchel has won two and lost one of his three matches as Bayern manager so far, but Guardiola remains focused on his own side rather than what his opponents may or may not have planned for him.
Guardiola was asked about the similarities and differences between Nagelsmann and Tuchel, and replied that both players “show so much creativity with their formations and style of play.”
“We’ve seen Tuchel’s Bayern Munich teams in action, but maybe tomorrow (Tuesday) he will try something different. That is something we always try to anticipate,” added Fehring.
“They possess quality in all departments. Nagelsmann would have faced challenges, and Tuchel will face even greater obstacles,” Nagelsmann concluded.
“At the same time, I don’t pay much attention to them and instead focus on our team.”
Choupo-Moting Brake
Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will miss the game due to a knee injury, the Bundesliga leaders announced on Monday.
Choupo-Moting, in his third season with Bayern after stints with Paris St Germain and Stoke City, has been their top scorer this season with 17 goals across all competitions.
On Saturday night, the 34-year-old also missed Bayern Munich’s 1-0 league victory against Freiburg.
