Pep Guardiola Reveals Why He Wants to Avoid Barcelona in Champions League Showdown
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted he is eager to avoid facing Barcelona in this season's UEFA Champions League, fearing an emotional clash with the club where he spent over a decade as a player and later managed to historic success.
Despite Manchester City's strong start to the Champions League, having drawn with Inter Milan and defeated Slovan Bratislava, Guardiola hopes to steer clear of the Catalan giants in the knockout stages.
While City won’t face Barcelona in the tournament's new 'league phase,' the two sides could still meet in the latter rounds.
Guardiola, who last faced Barcelona with City in 2016, shared his reasons for preferring to avoid his former team during an interview on the Italian show Che Tempo Che Fa.
The emotional connection he has with the club he grew up with and led to unprecedented success weighs heavily on him.
"Barcelona maybe," Guardiola confessed. "The affection I have for them destroys me. I was born in a small town nearby, it’s never easy to play against them."
In addition to discussing his potential reunion with Barcelona, Guardiola also commented on Lionel Messi, the Argentine star who thrived under his leadership at Barcelona.
Guardiola hailed Messi as the greatest player of all time, comparing him to legends like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.
"For me, it's easy to say he's the best of all time," Guardiola said.
"The GOAT? Maybe that’s a lack of respect to Pele and Maradona, but for me, he is. I’ve never seen someone maintain that level of brilliance for so long."
Guardiola has also shared his thoughts on the new Champions League format but prefers to reserve judgment until the end of the season.
#PepGuardiola #ChampionsLeague #ManCity #Barcelona #LionelMessi #FootballNews #UEFA #GOAT
No comments: