Guardiola is ambitious for a treble like Man Utd in 1999
"I say many times that only one team has ever won the treble because it is really too difficult," Guardiola said on March 31 in a press conference before the 29th round of the Premier League. "We have Liverpool, then we have a long week off and then we have a tough schedule. The most important thing is we're fighting for everything, all three titles, and that's fantastic. ".
According to Guardiola, to play well 10 out of 11 months of the season is very difficult, but each victory in itself will help Man City up. And he believes the home team can still win the Premier League this season despite being eight points behind Arsenal.
In the 1998-1999 season, Man Utd became the only English team to date to win the treble of major titles in one season, including the English Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. In particular, the most memorable was the Champions League title when Man Utd defeated Bayern in the final at Camp Nou, thanks to two goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in three minutes of injury time.
In the 2018-2019 season, Man City became the first English club to win three domestic titles at the same time in a season including the League Cup, Premier League and FA Cup. They beat Chelsea 4-3 in the penalty shootout in the League Cup final, won the Premier League with 98 points, one point ahead of Liverpool and crushed Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final. Guardiola's team also won the English Super Cup when they beat Chelsea 2-0 thanks to a brace from Sergio Aguero. But in the Champions League, Man City stopped in the quarterfinals when losing to Tottenham with a total score of 3-4.
This season, Man City missed the League Cup, but still have the opportunity to win all three remaining tournaments. They are second in the Premier League, eight points behind Arsenal but playing one game less, meeting Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals and Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals. Man City will have to play nine matches in April and many other intense matches in May, even June, if they reach the Champions League final.
Guardiola stressed that Man City will focus on each game and do not accept fatigue as an excuse, even though the students go through a packed schedule this season, including the World Cup for the first time in history taking place at the end of the season. year. The Spanish coach believes that the pressure in the sprint will help Man City focus more mentally. "When the season has a month or two left, the mental fatigue won't exist," he said. "If we win, we still have a chance to win. If not, goodbye and we will be back next season."
Guardiola arrived at Man City in 2016 and won every domestic title, including four Premier Leagues, one FA Cup, four League Cups, and two English Super Cups. But he emphasizes focusing only on the present, rather than on past glories. Guardiola added: "You have to prove it every day, over and over again. I never went on the pitch thinking that experience will help me win the next game. I think in football, what you do. Yesterday has nothing to do with tomorrow."
Guardiola confirmed Phil Foden could return within "two to three weeks" and will work with the medical team to decide on Erling Haaland's ability to play before the game kicks off Liverpool. The 22-year-old striker did not play two Euro 2024 qualifying matches, where Norway lost 0-3 to Spain and drew 1-1 with Georgia, and was absent from Man City's recent training sessions.
Therefore, Guardiola said he would plan tactics only based on the players who are ready to play and hinted that striker Julian Alvarez could be used to kick the virtual number 9 against Liverpool today. He explained. "When you have the typical players you need, the tactics are the skills of each player. Haaland has different skills than Julian Alvarez. If you play with a false 9, Man City needs players with different skills." .
