Guardiola: 'My legacy is special without the treble'
Man City is the only European club that can aim for a treble of major titles - the league, the National Cup and the Champions League. If they can do that, they will recreate the miracle of the club and city Man Utd in the 1998-1999 season.
In the Premier League, the race was almost over when Man City won 3-0 at Everton, and Arsenal lost to Brighton in round 36 last weekend. Man City currently has 85 points, four points more than Arsenal and will officially be crowned if they beat Chelsea at Etihad on May 21. Guardiola's teachers and students also met Man Utd in the FA Cup final on June 3 and rematched Real in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final today. Supercomputer Opta rates Man City higher with a 59.1% chance of winning, compared to 19.7% for the Royal Spanish team.
"What I do with Man City is still very special, no matter what happens for the rest of the season," Guardiola replied on May 16 at a press conference before the semi-final second leg against Real when asked. about the meaning of the treble that the team is aiming for. The Spanish coach also admitted that Real's rematch was one of the most important matches since he arrived at Man City in 2016.
"I told the players that we are extremely lucky to be here and enjoy the moment," said Guardiola. "Everything is in our hands and depends on us. Man City don't have to do something special, just be yourself and win a game to reach the final."
Guardiola has won every domestic title with Man City, including four Premier Leagues, one FA Cup, four League Cups, two English Super Cups. However, they have not been able to win the Champions League. Man City's best performance in this arena is the final in 2021, where they lost to Chelsea 0-1 because of Kai Havertz's only goal.
Guardiola said he was not pressured by the Man City leadership to win the Champions League, but only "try to do the best possible" in this arena, when negotiating the contract. The 52-year-old coach admitted that he is very eager to win the Champions League with Man City, after reaching the final and semi-finals in the last two seasons, respectively. "There is no guarantee that Man City will be here in the future. So when you are in the semi-finals, give your best. Let's unite, overcome the difficult times and fight for the fans." , he added.
According to Guardiola, Man City must show determination, plan better, adjust a little tactically, create more chances and give the ball to the strikers in a more favorable position than the 1-1 draw in the Premier League. Bernabéu a week ago. He also said that there is no club that is more appreciated than in the big battle at Etihad today.
Guardiola has repeatedly been criticized for "thinking too much" in big games, having lost seven Champions League semi-finals. The Spanish coach joked that he would keep it simple this time, but could not reveal the strategy for fear that Carlo Ancelotti would hear. He also confirmed Kevin de Bruyne is in the best shape and the whole team is ready to play, except for Nathan Ake, who is absent due to a hamstring injury.
