Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has revealed that winning the Champions League title with the club would be a “dream” and an “obsession” of his. As City prepares to face Inter Milan in the final on Saturday, Guardiola is hoping to achieve a ‘treble’ for the club, having already won the league and FA Cup this season. This would see City become the second English club in history to win a treble, following in the footsteps of Manchester United in 1999.
Guardiola was hired by City in 2016, with the aim of turning City into Champions League winners. However, the club has so far been unable to achieve this ultimate prize. Speaking in Istanbul on Friday, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach said that winning the Champions League against Inter would be the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
Guardiola believes that having the correct level of obsession and desire is necessary to achieve great things. He stated that he does not control what people think but rather focuses on what needs to be done. Guardiola acknowledged that Inter Milan is bigger than City in terms of history in this competition, but believes that his team can perform better and win the game.
Erling Haaland’s 12 goals in this season’s competition is the best return by any City player during a Champions League campaign. Guardiola believes that having good players is the key to success. He likened Haaland’s importance to City’s team to that of Lionel Messi’s importance to his Barcelona teams.
Guardiola has previously lost the Champions League final against Chelsea in Porto two years ago. He believes that his players are now ready to avenge that defeat and win the Champions League. Guardiola stressed the importance of stability, good defense, and patience, and said that the most important thing is not to think at 0-0 that the team is losing.
Guardiola also urged City fans to end their antipathy towards UEFA and focus on backing the team against Inter. City fans have booed the UEFA anthem since being fined for breaching financial regulations in 2014, but Guardiola wants that to end and for everyone to celebrate the Champions League as an incredible competition.
Guardiola’s dream of winning the Champions League title with Manchester City is about to come to fruition as his team prepares to face Inter Milan in the final. With a treble on the line, Guardiola is hoping that his team can perform at their best and achieve their ultimate goal.
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