SANTIAGO SOLARI HAS hit back at Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City boss omitted Real Madrid as one of his three best teams of the decade.
Guardiola named Juventus and former clubs Bayern Munich and Barcelona as Europe’s best sides, despite the fact that Real have collected four Champions League titles in that time compared to just three for the others combined.
“I’ve said many times: who are the best teams in the last decade? Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona,” said Guardiola last week. “These are the three best teams in Europe. Why? Because every season they win the league, every season they win the cups, every season they are there. Because they are the best.”
Madrid visit Girona on Thursday for the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final, defending a 4-2 lead registered at the Bernabeu and, addressing a press conference ahead of the game, Solari was pressed on Guardiola’s claims.
The Madrid coach said: “I think the omission of Real Madrid is deliberate. But we are not going to argue about one decade or another when Real Madrid is the best club of the century, and in history.
And also in the last decade, anyway. It’s because Real don’t underestimate any rival.”
Madrid have been European champions in four of the last five seasons, a run that was briefly interrupted by Barca when they beat Juventus to claim the crown in 2015.
The year was also one of two final appearances for Juve in the last 10 years as they were also beaten 4-1 by Madrid in Cardiff in 2017.
During Guardiola’s three-year tenure, Bayern failed to reach the final, falling at the semi-final stage in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Meanwhile, Solari is yet to decide whether to start Vinicius Junior ahead of Gareth Bale at Girona – but confirmed that goalkeeper Keylor Navas will start amid speculation he is to leave the club.
He added: “Vinicius or Bale? Every game has its circumstances, and we will decide. Keylor is ready to play tomorrow in the cup.
“Am I happy with no signings in the winter transfer market? We have a wonderful squad.”
Solari was also pressed on Alvaro Morata’s move from Chelsea to Atletico Madrid, with the former Real striker set to spend the next 18 months on loan at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Why is it easier for Real fans to accept a player from Atletico than the opposite? The footballer’s job is to be professional, and leave everything on the pitch,” said Solari.
“And then, it can happen that you fall in love with the club you work for. As it was in my case.”
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2 La Ligas in a decade that sound like the best team of the decade?
To be fair 4 champions leagues in the last 5 years. As horrible a club like Real Madrid are in how their fans repeatedly boo their own players, treat their managers and truly believe they are above normal footballing rules as is standard across the board just because they are Real Madrid they are the best team of the last decade but Pepe is entitled to his opinion…maybe his view is biased with his Barca links as Mick McCarthy maybe be biased in how he views Gary Breen as one of the best Irish players that has ever walked the planet :-)
@Patrick McHugh: we all dream of a team of Gary breens a team of Gary Breens a team of Gary Breens
@Patrick McHugh: Guardiola is trolling of course. Barca have a superior league record recently but Real is also the first team to reach 4500 points in La Liga … the fans do boo players and it’s a shock for some to witness it but it only happens when they reckon the player isn’t giving a 100% effort , or is putting himself above the club . There are no sacred cows . And the results speak for themselves as does the fact that most players dream of playing for them … don’t write them off just yet in CL either . Ajax is the next rival up , a lot of injuries are clearing up and the fitness levels are back to where they should be after Lopeteguis departure .. it’s unlikely they’ll do a comeback in La Liga but the CL is still a strong option and let’s see what happens in Copa del Rey tonight
@Limón Madrugada: Visca Girona!!
@Karlos McGrath: let’s see what happens , won’t be an easy game but Real seem to have found their scoring boots at last . Hala Madrid !
@Limón Madrugada: To be fair to pep, he clearly thinks that winning the league consistently over the last ten years is a bigger feat than the CL.
And in that regard, Barca have dominated.
@Margarita Huanca: he clearly doesn’t because he signed for Bayern to win the CL for them , ultimately they didn’t need him to win their domestic league … similarly he signed for Man City who won leagues without him but are still way off a CL ..
@Limón Madrugada: True lad, but he did specify the domestic league when making this statement.
And to be honest, I think he has a point.
@Limón Madrugada: found this, didn’t think the all time record was that even https://www.goal.com/en/news/real-madrid-barcelona-clasico-record-head-to-head/hxdm74dgfby81w9bsiejduy05
@Dave O Keeffe: who did you expect to be further ahead ??
@Margarita Huanca: no he did not , he said ‘every year they win , the leagues , the cups’ so why do 4 of the last 5 CL not count ?
It’s a league ( of sorts) and a CUP … not to mention Real did the treble two years ago … and have been World club champions meanwhile too .. Guardiola is deliberately omitting Real Madrid , which in the end is a backhanded compliment … he’s a bitter and resentful man sometimes beneath his superficial saintly image
@Limón Madrugada: thought Real would be ahead by a good bit