Pep Guardiola says 'Premier League is most difficult trophy' as Manchester City and Liverpool battle for title
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 20/05/2022 at 16:07 GMT
"I'm not saying the Champions League is not important. We'd love to be in Paris next week. Always, to win 38 games, or six/seven games is different" - Pep Guardiola admitted he would love to be leading Manchester City out in the Champions League final next week, but said he believed the Premier League was the more satisfying trophy.
Guardiola relishing possible title win in front of home crowd
Pep Guardiola believes the Premier league title is the most difficult trophy to win, but admitted he would love to be in the Champions League final next week with Manchester City.
Guardiola's side will win the Premier League with victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, or if they better or match Liverpool's result against Wolves.
They are heavy favourites to claim a fourth league title in five years under Guardiola, but suffered more Champions League disappointment after losing to Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
While Guardiola believes the league title is the most satisfying, he is disappointed to miss out on next week's final in Paris.
He said: "The (Premier League) is more difficult. Lot of weeks, games, injuries, good and bad moments, different situations. The success is being there in the last years... Fighting for the Premier League gives the sense you enjoy the locker room.
"We are happier in our lives when you win and win it by making good training and environment. It's not just one game like the FA Cup, it's a consistent team. You want to change different things, experiences. In terms of the Premier League, it's more every day, it's nice.
"I'm not saying the Champions League is not important. We'd love to be in Paris next week. Always, to win 38 games, or six or seven games is different. Always I like it, it's nice. We are close."
Guardiola also confessed that the feeling of success is short lived, and quickly superseded by the desire to win more.
"Before we won the first Premier League title, it would be the most incredible moment of our lives," he added.
"The day after you feel, 'Oh'. The day after, the sun rises, and people start to demand more. Satisfaction is there, but after one, two days, it's forgotten.
"It has to be like that. It's nice, we have incredible focus to try do it. In the end, the feeling hasn't changed. We try to be ourselves, do what we need to do. Football is emotional, but it's a game. The game means luck, a thousand things you cannot control.
"The way we play, we play to win, there are aspects we can't control. If you want it you can't control. Something can happen. Try of course, an incredible desire to win, we would be incredibly happy. After one, two, three days, we start again."
In 2019, Manchester City pipped Liverpool to the title on the final day of the season in similar circumstances, having to win against Brighton.
And while Guardiola said that his players were aware of the stakes again, the similarities ended there and that they had to focus on a new opponent in a different game.
"I don't have to tell them, they believe," he said. "Different opponents... It's not a similar game, we know what we have to do. Be ourselves, give everything we have to win the game.
"Do exactly what we have done the last month, go for it. At the end, we play just a football game. We are not going to do something new. We arrive two or three hours before, we prepare against Villa as we do always. Go to the plan and beat Aston Villa.
"At the end we can make theories but it's just a football game - 11 players, a good manager. Apart from that we didn't do different. Today we train, a normal Premier League game, nothing special. Importance of the game, they feel it."
City could have defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker available as they have returned to training.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement