Pep Guardiola accepts Manchester City were not good enough after suffering a crushing defeat against Real Madrid, but says they must now pick themselves up to win the Premier League title.
City were on the verge of a second consecutive Champions League final when 5-3 up on aggregate in the last minute of their second leg against Real Madrid. But remarkably, Rodrygo scored twice for the Spaniards at the end of the game to take it to extra time.
Within that, Karim Benzema slotted home a penalty to ensure it is Real Madrid, not Manchester City, who will be up against Liverpool in the final later this month.
It means the Champions League trophy continues to evade Guardiola at City, despite all his other achievements at the club.
All that remains available to them now this season is the Premier League title, which is no small feat in itself. But there may be questions about why they haven’t been able to manage more in Europe.
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Speaking to BT Sport after the defeat Guardiola says his players were not at their best. He felt they could have been feeling the pressure to make the final. But nothing could prepare them for what happened at the death.
Pep Guardiola accepts City not good enough
“We were close. We were close. But in the end we could not reach it,” Guardiola told BT Sport.
“It is simple. In the first-half we did not have game, we were not good enough. But we did not suffer much. After we scored the goal we were better. We found out tempo and our game and the players were comfortable. It is not like in the last 10 minutes they attack and attack and you suffer.
“It didn’t happen. They put a lot of players in the box, with Militao, Rodrygo, Vinicius, Benzema and they put in crosses and scored two goals.
“We didn’t play our best, but it is normal, a semi-final, the players feel the pressure and wanting to do it. Football is unpredictable, it is a game like this. We have to accept it.
“Now we need…
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