“It hurts at that moment” – Pep Guardiola reveals one bitter he learnt from Chelsea
Manchester City Pep Guardiola reveals bitter lesson he learnt from Chelsea
Despite being one of the best sides in Europe, Manchester City failed to win the Champions League in 2021 and 2022, losing out in the finals and semi-finals of the tournament.
Man City reached the final three seasons ago, but lost to Chelsea, with Kai Havertz scoring the only goal of the game.
Pep Guardiola has said that losing to Chelsea in such circumstances helped his side win the Champions League last season.
Man City won the Champions League last term and recently won the Club World Cup – the first time the club will achieve such feat.
Speaking about his side’s recent success, Guardiola stated: “The reason we are here is not Istanbul. It is not to beat Inter. The reason we are here is to lose to Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham, Lyon. Because of the UCL final against Chelsea, to lose in the last minute against Real Madrid.
“It hurt at that moment, but it doesn’t hurt now. It helped us beat Inter Milan, it’s a process.”
He added, “For the big clubs, they are used to it, but for us, it was new. Now, we believe we can win anywhere, we can win. It’s not just ‘Bring Pep here, and it happens immediately’.
“It’s a process. We arrived to finish 8 years of work with many disappointments – but it’s part of life and sport.”