Guardiola takes dig at Man City fans by urging them to get behind team against Spurs in Champions League after booing anthem and thousands of empty seats
PEP GUARDIOLA has challenged Manchester City fans to show him they care about the Champions League tomorrow night. The Etihad faithful have yet to fully embrace Europe’s top competition – partly down to the treatment they have had from UEFA. It has meant City have failed to sell out some of their European home games […]
PEP GUARDIOLA has challenged Manchester City fans to show him they care about the Champions League tomorrow night.
The Etihad faithful have yet to fully embrace Europe’s top competition – partly down to the treatment they have had from UEFA.
It has meant City have failed to sell out some of their European home games – while the atmosphere has sometimes been flat.
But Guardiola says they will need all the help they can get as they bid to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Tottenham.
He wants a repeat of the electric atmosphere that saw them edge out Liverpool early in the New Year – or something even better.
He said: “We need them in our bad moments, at this stage we cannot go through. I’m really curious to how are fans will be.”
“Like the Liverpool game would be enough for me, a little bit better. We need it.
“I played many times in this stage, I’m a failure but many times I’ve arrived in quarter finals and semi finals, and every time away the support is incredible from the local fans and we need it.
We need them in our bad moments. I’m really curious to how our fans will be.
Pep Guardiola
“I want to see that they want to get to the semi finals, not just the players, the fans too. I want to see that.”
Guardiola insists he was not brought to City specifically to win the Champions League – and says there is no great pressure to do so.
He said: “I know people say I came here to win the Champions League. I didn’t come here to win the Champions League honestly.
“I came here to play with my team the way we are playing the last 20 months, that is what I came here, to play the way I want to play.
“And of course I want the Champions League.
“I know in Bayern Munich, a big club, after three seasons winning absolutely everything, the Champions League was a big failure.
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“What can I say? I accept that. So we won in the previous one, I know that. I have to live with that but it’s not a big, big problem, it pushes me better.
“You have to feel I have to win it, if not it’s not enough. But also I accept, I understand the others are better too, in this competition.
“They are better too. A lot of big, big clubs are not in the later stages so what is important how you handle 11 months.”