Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that it feels a little bit weird to be facing Real Madrid in the Champions League yet again. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
According to him, despite feeling that both teams have faced each other too many times, he realises that City will have to beat the best teams to be UCL champions.
Pep added that any team will be a tricky fixture at this stage of the Uefa Champions League.
His words, “Yes, it is a little bit weird.
Not many times does it happen that the last game of the group stage — like Real Madrid v Benfica — is the first draw.
It looks different. People will agree or disagree but it is different.
But why not? In the Premier League and cups how many times have we played against Newcastle this season? Hopefully we can play against them in the final.
When I started it was eight, nine, 10 teams [in the Champions League]. It is a question of adapting.
A Madrid draw is a Madrid draw. What can we do?
That would be so disrespectful, for example to Newcastle, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid or Spurs. The Champions League is so difficult.
I’m not saying Madrid is not difficult, everybody knows that, but the rest of the teams that you play — you can name me any team, all of them have the ‘trick.’
If you want to go through in this competition right now you have to win against the best teams, otherwise you don’t deserve it.”
WOW.
Pep Guardiola Sala is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is currently managing Premier League club Manchester City. Guardiola is the only manager to win the continental treble twice, the youngest to win the UEFA Champions League, and he also holds the records for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Premier League. He is considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time.
Guardiola has played for and advocated on behalf of the Catalonia football team. Between 1995 and 2005, he played seven friendly games for Catalonia.
Under Guardiola’s predecessor Frank Rijkaard, Barcelona were known for a 4–3–3 with plenty of flair with Ronaldinho being the centre point of the attack. Under Guardiola, however, the team became more disciplined with a greater focus on possession and a disciplined and aggressive pressing style.
Guardiola was born to Dolors and Valentí. He has two older sisters and a younger brother, Pere, a football agent. He is an atheist. Guardiola met his wife Cristina Serra when he was 18. They married on 29 May 2014.
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