Pep Guardiola said on Monday that his team has been “unstable” and that they have lacked “much more than Rodri.” He also said that this season, “Real Madrid has lost more matches than usual, but they are still in the frame.” “We haven’t performed well in the group stage, so we deserve to be here (in the Champions League playoffs). We also deserve to play the first leg at home, because we didn’t play well and cannot ask for anything; it doesn’t matter if the second leg is or isn’t at our stadium,” Guardiola said.
He said, “It’s not easy to get back into rhythm after winning the League and the Champions League,” after Real Madrid had won both. The City coach, who expects a “thrilling, tough tie in both matches,” bemoaned, “We have experienced this ourselves this year, falling more than usual.” “Both teams have had issues with injuries, but they have managed better than us because they are the leaders (in the league),” said the manager of the Catalan team.
Guardiola stressed that “Real Madrid’s defensive discipline is what has made the difference (in their European encounters against City), as the talent has always been present,” as well as the fact that “today, in modern football, if the forwards don’t apply themselves, it’s much more challenging” . He said, “They are exceptional players, and we must try to reduce the time they have on the ball.” This was in reference to Real Madrid’s attackers.
“Those players are uncontrollable in 90 or 180 minutes. I won’t say anything new because everyone is aware of this. Their combination play, moves… They possess the capacity to accomplish everything, therefore we will aim to impose our game and be wise in the first encounter. In reference to Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mbappé, and Vinicius, he stated, “We need to read the moments correctly to achieve a good result heading into the Bernabéu.”
According to him, he has “never” felt like a potential victim of dismissal. “I am here because of what I have achieved in the past. In every stadium, fans chant that I will be sacked the next day, although they might sack me tomorrow too,” he said, addressing his future at City, which was uncertain prior to the last matchday if the English team had not qualified among the top 24 in the Champions League.
