Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola addressed the media ahead of their crucial Champions League showdown against PSG at Parc des Princes, emphasizing the need to embrace criticism while reflecting on both teams’ struggles to avoid elimination from the tournament.
“Football, like life, isn’t always perfect, but what defines us as human beings and footballers is our ability to overcome difficulties”, said Guardiola during a press conference at the Parisian venue.
“We must accept the criticism for how we’ve played”, he added. While Manchester City is thriving in the Premier League with an impressive 20 goals in their last four matches, they sit in a precarious 22nd place in the Champions League standings with eight points, just one point ahead of the French team.
Guardiola praised PSG as “one of the best teams in the world”, adding, “From what I’ve seen this season, they are a very young, dynamic, and highly talented side. It’s never easy to win here.”
Speaking about his relationship with Luis Enrique, his former teammate at Barcelona, Guardiola shared, “We have an incredible relationship. He’s a friend, and our families are very close. Though, from the bottom of my heart, I’m hoping for PSG to underperform”, he joked.
When asked if he influenced Luis Enrique’s coaching style, Guardiola dismissed the notion: “I started earlier; I’m a bit older. I can say the strongest team I ever faced was Barcelona in 2015”, referring to the side managed by Luis Enrique featuring Messi, Neymar, and Suárez that won the Champions League that year.
“Luis Enrique isn’t copying anyone. This success is his own, and he has a unique way of uniting his teams and making them fight”, Guardiola concluded.