Pep ´just having fun´ in Champions League because ´nothing will be enough´

Pep Guardiola’s mindset is just to enjoy leading Manchester City in the Champions League rather than worrying about talk of a “disaster” if they still cannot win Europe’s elite club competition.

Guardiola won the Champions League twice while Barcelona coach but has failed to add to that haul in otherwise successful stints in charge of Bayern Munich and City.

Perennial Premier League champions City have been repeatedly frustrated in Europe, consigned to upset losses to Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon in the knockout stages in Guardiola’s first four seasons.

City then reached the final in 2020-21, only to again come up short against Chelsea.

Last year, there was a painful semi-final reverse at the hands of eventual champions Real Madrid, increasing external pressure on one of the greatest coaches of the modern game.

But ahead of entering the knockout rounds again against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, Guardiola revealed he has learned to look at life very differently – influenced by the negative outlook of others.

“From the first season, I get this,” he said initially. “I arrive here, and people say, ‘you arrive here to win the Champions League’.”

Guardiola then added: “I would say if my career finished tomorrow, if I could not be manager literally tomorrow, I would be more than blessed with what I’ve done at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here in Europe and in other competitions.

“I could never expect to have the career I had in this short time. Not just the success we had all together over this period of 13, 14 years, but for the fact the way we played, this way I love it. I couldn’t ask more.

“We want to do our best. What’s going to happen is going to happen. In the end, destiny is already written. We’ll do our best, as we have done. We have been close sometimes, sometimes not, sometimes closer.

Leipzig vs Man City #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/mtd6ZHzW7V

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 7, 2022

“This is my feeling. I lived that position. I had the feeling of what we have done, all of us for many years, whatever happened, it is going to fail.

“Whatever I do personally in the future, whatever I have done in the past, I’m going to fail. Nothing will be enough.

“When I learned that, I just have fun, enjoy being here in this press conference. After, a good dinner with good wine, watch Liverpool-Madrid, a little bit Napoli, always a pleasure, prepare well the game.

“Leave it for the players: let’s go, guys, try to do it again.”

Guardiola said he had started to feel like this “a long time ago” but “mainly at City”.

He continued: “Everyone put the perspective that everything is a disaster if you don’t win some prizes. But I don’t know if everyone put this perspective on themselves.

“I don’t want to put pressure on myself. I’m blessed to be here.

“I never thought when I arrived, we have to win every year the Premier League, or every year we have to win three or four Champions Leagues. Except Real Madrid, the rest cannot do it.

“We just try to do what we have done. The last two seasons we have been really close and played really good games. We’ll try to do it again.”