MANCHESTER CITY BOSS Pep Guardiola is happy at the club and is not only motivated by winning the Champions League.
Guardiola is embarking on his seventh season in charge at the Etihad – his longest stint at one club as a manager – and with four Premier League titles, an FA Cup and four League Cups, City have dominated the domestic scene.
But success in Europe has eluded them, with just a single run to the final, and the only trophy they have not won is the one that is spoken about the most.
Guardiola, who won the Champions League twice with Barcelona, says he does not have an “obsession” with it and it has no bearing on whether he will stay in the job.
“I am still sitting here because we won,” he said of his longevity at City.
“If we did not win I would not be sat here. I didn’t win, we won together. Most of the time I am here in these facilities, a lot of hours and then I go home. I like my life.
“Everything is fluid, if there were problems I would not be here seven years. I am happy here and if I don’t stay it’s not because I want to move to another place. It’s because I will stop and take a break.
“It is not about the Champions League. My life is not depending, I would like to do it, it’s not an obsession.
“It’s a dream or a target but I am aware how good the opposition are and how difficult the competition. Maybe people don’t believe me and think I am making an excuse but I didn’t come here to win the Champions League.
“They didn’t ask me, of course they want it. I am the first to want it. It was the same with Munich.
“Every season I want to win the Champions League and I don’t feel a failure when we didn’t win it in Barcelona or Bayern Munich.
At the same time I am not the master of the universe when I win it. I will not leave in 11 months if we do not win the Champions League. We want to try to do it but it will not be the reason.”
Guardiola says that his motivation to stay at City is to improve the team and, despite the trophy haul over the years, believes the club can get even better.
“Improving the team and getting better, that is the main reason I am still here,” he said.
“I am sad because we lost the Community Shield, but especially because we didn’t play as well as we can do.
“The only thing I am here for is to make the team play better and make individual players better. Nothing is eternal, not even this team that has done many good things in the last years.
“Everyone knows inside this club that we have won four Premier Leagues in five years is extraordinary. We can improve it.
“Otherwise if I feel with the players I have I cannot make the next step, we can do better. This is the only reason I am here.
“I am not leaving here if we don’t win the Premier League, if we don’t win the other trophies. I know losing tournaments is more normal than winning.
“It is going to happen sooner rather than later. This is the way, since day one when I started with the second team in Barcelona.”
Unbelievable result….. fair play to her
@Tony O Connor: Time waits for no one.Sadly some great champions refuse to acknowledge the obvious.
@Tony O Connor: the women’s game is in rag order, Venus is 39 and ranked 44 in the world. Not surprising at all a prodigy dumped her out.
@Billy McNamara: It also happens to team managers too, many do not know when it is time to go. ” You’re only as good as your last game” .
@Tony O Connor: but at why price? Look at the girls shoulders, she has the look of an Olympic powerlifter, and only 15. What kind of a life has she had? I guess trained since birth by her parents. She will be burnt out by 20 like so many before her. Although, I hope I’m wrong.
Hopefully Venus reacted with a tad more dignity and respect than Serena did when Naomi Osaka outplayed her
Ooof. That’s game over for Venus.
Did Jennifer Capriati not qualify for Wimbledon when she was only 14?
@winston smith: She didn’t have to go thru the qualifiers, Caoriati already had high enough ranking to get in automatically
@winston smith: youngest player since 1991
Do they not walk off together anymore at Wimbledon?
@Sheila Teehan: Its very rarely done now-deference is given to the winner to walk off last to get the applause.
Great result for Cori but if she knocks out more high profile players then she will be a future Grand Slam Champion
@Just Some Guy: yeah I think if she wins all her matches over the next two weeks she will win the championship.
@sup: That’s well researched.
@Patrick J. Keating:
Venus was always renowned for close shaves but I think there may be some minor irritation at that result.
The fact that Venus had won 4 grand slams before this girl was born says it all. No one can stay on top forever. Venus Williams will remain one of the best female tennis players but, sadly, the mantle always gets passed on.
Great news!
Teenage kicks!