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Champions League: Guardiola talks tough ahead of Man City, Tottenham clash


Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, on Tuesday said he did take over at the club to win the UEFA Champions League.

Guardiola said this ahead of Man City’s Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad on Wednesday.

Guardiola’s men head to the game following a 1-0 defeat to Spurs in the first leg encounter last week Tuesday.

“I know people say I came here to win the Champions League, but I didn’t come here to win the Champions League, honestly,” Guardiola was quoted by Sky Sports as saying.

“I came here to play the way my team has been playing in the last 20 months. That is why I came here – to play the way I want to play and of course, I want to win the Champions League.

“I was at a big club in Bayern Munich and after three seasons I won absolutely everything except the Champions League. It was a big failure. What can I say, I accept that I know that. I have to live with that but it is not a big, big problem.

“It pushes me better when you feel you have to win it. If not, it is not enough but also at the same time you have to accept the other teams were better in this competition.

“A lot of big clubs are not here now in these stages, so what is important is how you handle things for 11 months.

“That is why I have said many times the Premier League, for me, is the most important title, showing every three days that you are there. Being there every time sends out a good message.

“What we need to do tomorrow is put our hurt on the pitch, our desire and after we will see.”

Guardiola added: “I’m sorry guys, I’m a failure in this competition but I arrived in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals many times and every time I played away the atmosphere was really incredible.

“We need it. We really need it. I want to see if they (the supporters) want to get to the semi-final, not just the players.”