2023-06-06 21:02:04
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday that his team’s previous failures in Europe or its domestic successes will not have any impact on next Saturday’s Champions League final.
Guardiola won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups, but European success eluded the coach, who won the Champions League twice while coaching Barcelona.
City has never won the elite European Championship and lost the 2021 final to Chelsea, but it is the candidate to beat Inter Milan early next week and complete the historic treble following winning the League and Federation Cup titles.
The Spanish coach told reporters before the final in Istanbul: “It is a dream to be here. Two years ago we were (in the final), but the situation was different.”
He added, “We will try to do our best because we know that the final depends on how we behave in the 90 minutes. It is not regarding history, otherwise Inter would have been better than us.”
He continued, “It is regarding what you do in 90 minutes and be better than the opponent. It does not depend on what you did in the group stage or in the quarter-finals or last season or in the Premier League or the FA Cup. It is a single match.”
The City coach praised Inter’s defensive organization, following the Italian team conceded only three goals in six matches in the knockout stages of the Champions League this year, explaining: “What we are trying to do in the next few days is to try to play with a lot of difficulties because it is not easy to attack the system.” “The defensive that Inter use. We have to set the pace and be patient. We won’t do that following three or four passes. We have to know the right rhythm.”
And he stressed, “Inter has a good form, not only in the way of defense, but in the quality of the ball and the transformations that the attackers make. He has a really good style that starts with goalkeeper Andre Onana, which makes our high pressure process difficult.”
Guardiola concluded his speech by saying that Kyle Walker, who was injured in the 95th minute in City’s 2-1 victory over rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final, is recovering from a back problem, adding: “He was not well yesterday. Today he has improved a little. He will not.” We take any risk and we’ll see what happens.”
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