Pep Guardiola Insists Champions League important to his time at City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that his time at Manchester City will be judged by the UEFA Champions League. The Spaniard has not won the UEFA Champions League since winning with Barcelona twice, the last coming in 2011.

Since then, Guardiola has gone on to manage Bayern Munich and now Manchester City without success in the European competition.

After four Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, and an FA Cup win, Guardiola’s time at City is ticking with the validation of the UEFA Champions League, a situation that the manager fully understands. While talking in the Pre-match conference for his team’s second leg round of sixteen tie with RB Leipzig on Tuesday, the manager claims he wants his team to remain in contention in all three competitions.

“Yes, that doesn’t mean I agree with that, but absolutely I will be judged for that competition. Since day one, when I arrived here, they asked me are you here to win the Champions League. I accept it. It’s not going to change. It is really important, it is. For the fact to be alive for the last two months of the season – to extend this chance to be there in the competitions. To have the pleasure to be still in Europe or in the Premier League to try to be close to Arsenal. That would be good.” Pep Guardiola said.

Manchester City have a 1-1 draw from Germany, and a win is all they need to move to the quarter-final of the competition.

Manchester City are five points behind league leaders Arsenal in the Premier League despite 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Gunners 3-0 win at Fulham on Sunday gave a five points gap.

In the second UEFA Champions League round of sixteen fixture of Tuesday, FC Porto will welcome Inter Milan with a 1-0 deficit to overturn.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu