Pep Guardiola will get techniques horribly unsuitable as City torn to shreds by Real Madrid | EUROtoday

“But the intensity [we need] I think they find it a four days ago. The players have to live it. I insist many times. Two or three months ago I said, ‘We play today to prove to ourselves this is how you have to play to arrive in the latter stages to compete against good teams’ because we have 60 or 70 per cent of new players this season.

“In November, December, January we had to win those games but we had to play in the way to visualise and see, ‘Oh we can do things, be aware we can do it’. Otherwise it will just be the next step and next season we’ll be back and do it again but once we are here to have to prove ourselves at our best otherwise when you arrive in the semi finals or finals of the Champions League and you are not who you are it is more difficult.

“You can be lucky yes – it’s not 38 games like the Premier League or La Liga where you have to be so consistent – but in this competition sometimes you deserve to go through and it doesn’t happen and other times you play really bad and go through because football is unpredictable sometimes.

“But we have to try to earn the tickets, I want to deserve to be in the next round and I have the feeling to deserve to be in the next round is to be who you are, it’s the only chance.”

After Real, City face West Ham within the Premier League on Saturday night earlier than the return leg in opposition to the Madrid giants subsequent Tuesday.

City then face Arsenal within the League Cup ultimate, Liverpool within the FA Cup quarter-finals and Chelsea and Arsenal within the league, with a Champions League quarter-final probably additionally to navigate.

Guardiola believes City have to remain true to themselves if they’re to prevail on this interval.

“Play better than the opponent,” he mentioned. “In a football game there are a lot of factors today – set-pieces in the Premier League ar an incredible weapon. But play better than the opponent.

“When I was the manager of Barcelona I always had the feeling we were. At Bayern Munich and Manchester City we were never who I think we were supposed to be. That was my feeling at times.

“Always when I come here [to Madrid] or in Munich or at Anfield with Jürgen [Klopp as Liverpool manager] for example when we played Champions League – try to be ourselves and face the opponent and don’t look to much at the consequences.

“If we’re out we’re out – congratulate Madrid and next season try to be back. But at least we were who we are. That’s always my biggest concern in the biggest stages when I arrive in March, April and May in the semi-finals and finals of the biggest completions.

“It’s not always possible, let me be clear. Because the opponent is better so you cannot impose what you want, it’s impossible, but at least try it.

“I think [we reached that with City] the year that we won the final of the Champions League [in 2023] playing not a good final for example [against Inter Milan].

“Once you arrive two or three times [in a final] you will be better, you need to experience that, it’s difficult to arrive the first time and win it. But that team suffered experiences in the past that helped.

“Losing here [in Madrid] in the last minute, playing good against Tottenham and being out in the quarter finals, in many games where we were outstanding and went out. It’s something you have to live. But now there are a lot of players who didn’t experience that so we will see how we react and how we behave.”