Manchester City Manager Hopeful Of Retaining UEFA Champions League
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Monday said the club’s bid to retain its UEFA Champions League title will be less difficult than the long wait to win European club football’s top competition.
The English champions lifted its first UEFA Champions League crown after a 1-0 victory against Italian giants Inter Milan at Istanbul in June. It brought an end to Manchester City’s years of disappointment and near misses in the competition.
When asked about City’s chances of retaining the title ahead of their Group G opener at home to Red Star Belgrade, Guardiola had a few words to share.
“It’ll be easier. The most difficult to win is the first one. It is incredible for us but it is just one,” Guardiola said. “Tomorrow is the first step. We will try and get the first three points.”
“It’s important the players don’t feel relaxed. For our club to win the Champions League is incredible but in perspective, how many (clubs have) won one Champions League? A lot. We haven’t done anything special with just one, but we are incredibly proud.”
Manchester City also won the Premier League and FA Cup to seal a treble last season. Despite that success, England right back Kyle Walker said there was no shortage of motivation in the squad.
“It’s our job (to be motivated). We’re at a massive club for a reason,” Walker told reporters. “It comes from within that you have to keep going and be motivated. The manager wants to win more, he doesn’t settle for second and we need to follow in his footsteps.”
“What we’ve done is in the past now, it’s a new season. The manager drew a diagram and had us at the bottom of the mountain and we have to climb it again. Going again is what separates good teams from great teams,” he added.
