Pep Guardiola insists that winning the Champions League with Manchester City is not an ‘obsession’ ahead of the new season and it is not his main objective.
The Premier League champions kick off their campaign today away to West Ham as they look to make it an incredible five league titles in six seasons, but the lack of a European crown is always on the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to the Manchester club.
Man City have been one of the best teams in the world for years but have fallen short in Europe’s top competition year after year. Whether it was the collapse last season, not showing up in the final against Chelsea, the overthinking against Lyon or the unfortunate exit to Tottenham; things don’t seem to fall Pep Guardiola’s way in the competition compared to his success back home in England.
However, Guardiola has played down the notion that he is singularly focused on securing Champions League glory as he enters his seventh season in charge of Man City.
What has Guardiola said about Man City winning the Champions League this year?
When speaking about the competition ahead of the new season, Guardiola has said via 90min: “My life doesn’t depend [on the Champions League]. I’d like to do it, everyone tries to do it,
“It’s not an obsession. To improve the team and play better. This is the main thing for me. The only thing I’m here for is to make the team play better, and the players individually to play better.
“Everyone knows the titles are there but I’m not thinking what will happen in 11 months if we win or lose…this is the thing.
“If we win it will be genius, if we don’t we will be failures. Nothing is going to change.”
Guardiola hasn’t won the competition since 2011 with the incredible Barcelona team he shaped and formed, but could this year be the year he brings Europe’s biggest prize back to Manchester, having added a potential key weapon in Erling Haaland?