PEP GUARDIOLA WILL target the quadruple again next season with Manchester City despite the disappointment of this week’s Champions League exit against Tottenham.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp – Guardiola’s closest challenger for the Premier League title – have both advanced to the semi-finals of Europe’s leading club competition.
But, unlike Guardiola, that duo have placed far less emphasis on the domestic cup competitions, fielding weakened sides in the early rounds of the League Cup and FA Cup.
By contrast Guardiola, in contrast, has always fielded full, or near-full, strength teams, leaving him open to accusations fatigue is hampering his team in the season’s closing stages.
Nevertheless the City manager, who won the League Cup against Chelsea and faces an FA Cup final date with Watford next month, is adamant he would never deliberately attempt to be knocked out of a competition.
“I don’t understand in my profession, it is not to say I don’t want to win, I don’t understand that,” said Guardiola.
If I lose it’s because the opponent beat me or beat us. I’m not going to drop any competitions because maybe in the future it will be better.”
‘Never get perfection’
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss whose City side, thanks to a quirk of the fixture list next play Tottenham again in the Premier League on Saturday, added: “Who knows what’s going to happen in the future? The present is this game and I will try.
“I will dream next season of fighting for the four titles, that’s my dream.”
Despite the traumatic nature of the aggregate reverse on away goals against Spurs, City are still just six wins — five in the league and the FA Cup Final — away from becoming the first English team ever to win a domestic treble
Rather than forget the disappointment of midweek, the City manager hopes the memory of that painful loss will inspire his side, although the Catalan boss accepted he could not be sure of his star-studded team’s reaction.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Before the game you don’t know how you will play, you never know how you’ll react, we were out other times, and we reacted well.
Perfection you never get, never, but you have to try to achieve it. Perfection would be 4-0, it was 4-3, or 7-0,” Guardiola explained. “We create chances to score seven. So perfection never exists, but you have to try.”
Just like City’s Champions League exit two years ago, when they scored five times in the home leg with Monaco only to go out on away goals, Guardiola’s disappointment was amplified by the fact they scored four times against Spurs on Wednesday in a losing effort.
“We have to improve the defensive department in this stage of the competition, and be more solid but in general we want to improve,” he said.
But the way we play, we’ve scored 154 goals, but the way we play with a good game for everyone here and around the world we’re not going to change.”
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Ara stop will ya
If anyone can do it he can. him and klopp defo best coaches around
@yoloboyz: Why didn’t he just do it this season so
@Stephen Lyons: uhhhh because it’s not easy…. I think that’s the point. Strive to do the best… It’s called ambition smarty pants
@yoloboyz: he has the most expensive team in the world. No excuses. Beaten by Spurs, without their best player, never spent a penny in the last two windows. Hasnt won the CL since Barca with arguably the greatest team to ever play. Been to Bayern, blew a fortune and failed, now with City has blown a fortune and still failed. Pochetino arguably better.
@yoloboyz: with all that money its called FAILURE.
@yoloboyz: lol poch must be an nfl coach
@yoloboyz: He’s a fraud and you know it. Messi and Iniesta could make even Steve McClaren win a treble.
@Paul O Mahony: Ferguson won two champions leagues over 20 years… city will win it eventually, I hate them but it would be foolish to call them failures.
He should be worrying about this season, it could all go Pete Tong very quickly now. Pressure is really on, I reckon they’ll crack and not just because I’m a Liverpool fan, it’s been a long time since Pep has needed a squeaky bum.
@Hardly Normal: probably the worst thing to happen City from a Liverpool perspective.
@Paul O Mahony: I wouldn’t think so , saying that they’re playing well now. Spurs are up for it too, it’s already a cracker.
Obviously going to try and by it for City
@Tom Keane:
Buy
You must be a City fan Nigel. Pep has the biggest budget and the biggest squad and his second team is far better than anyone else’s.
Be more in his line to focus on the treble this season first
What Guardiola is saying here doesn’t add up . Some years ago Barca withdrew the team because the fixtures were too close … and who was the coach ?? Yep ! The one and only Josep Guardiola …
Thought was a Pentuble with Community shield!
There are no guarantees in life and I hope the headline isn’t a true quote, will never get a better chance again and it’s gone now