The thrashing of Manchester City by Real Madrid was a crushing blow for the club in a season full of them – and it also brought an unwanted personal monument to Pep Guardiola.
City collapsed from the Champions League on Wednesday evening when a Kylian Mbappe Hat-Trick passes them against Real a 6-2 defeat. The side of Carlo Ancelotti was completely dominant in the home leg and moved to the last 16 by a canter.
The impressive 4-0 win over Newcastle at the weekend, including a hat trick for Omar Marmoush, offered city fans at the hopes before the trip to the Bernabeu, but they were quickly extinguished. The defeat at this stage confirmed the earliest exit of the Champions League of City, because they did not come from their group in 2012/13.
It is remarkable that it was already the 13th defeat of City of the season, which is the most that a team managed by Guardiola ever suffered in a single campaign in his entire management career at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Stad. Guardiola tried not to cover the gloomy photo in his press conference after the game.
“When you're done with 22nd [in the Champions League group phase] It's because you have not been good, “he admitted. “It is the year that we have been the worst. We don't have the rhythm that Madrid has now. There is nothing to add. They were the better team. You have to accept reality.
“In the past it may have hurt more. [It’s not] Impotence, no. We have been a great team and this year we are not that for many reasons. We have achieved something unique in our country and in Europe we won once and we have often been there. Decisions [are] To make at team level and by everyone and now to qualify under the top four or five to return. “
City signed Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez and Vorror Reis in the transfer window in January in a clear recognition that their team was not strong enough. Guardiola ended speculation about his future in November by signing a new two -year contract and he already has one eye on the reconstruction of his team.
“A bit, yes, we started to do [the rebuild]”He said. “Things are not eternal, there are players who have an age. Over time, the team, the club and everyone will accept what it is. We have been incredible [before] And we have to try step by step to get better [again]. We cannot win the Premier League.
“The FA Cup is there. We must be top four, top five, we will try to be here again. “Asked if he had the power to continue, he replied:” Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes. I want to continue. “
Comments