Guardiola Reflects On Rebuild After Real Madrid Knock Out Man City Again

‎Pep Guardiola says his evolving Manchester City squad will need time to reach the level of his earlier sides after their latest Champions League exit to Real Madrid, marking a third straight elimination at their hands.

‎A brace from Vinícius Júnior sealed a 2–1 defeat for the 10-man hosts, who were reduced early when captain Bernardo Silva received a red card just 20 minutes in at the Etihad Stadium.

‎City were already facing an uphill battle after Federico Valverde’s first-leg hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu put Madrid firmly in control.

‎Guardiola bemoaned the chance to truly test the 15-time European champions due to Silva’s dismissal for handling Vincius’ shot on the goal-line.

‎The scoreline masked how closely fought the contest truly was, a stark contrast to Real Madrid’s 6–3 aggregate win when the sides met last season.

‎With Manchester City undergoing a significant rebuild across the last three transfer windows, Bernardo Silva remains one of the few core players left from the group that captured four straight Premier League titles under Guardiola from 2021 to 2024. Guardiola’s side now has a swift opportunity to respond, as they prepare to face Arsenal in Sunday’s League Cup final.

‎But they trail the Gunners by nine points in the Premier League title race and face Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals next month.

‎”Still we are not complete. Still there are things in certain moments (where) we need to be more clinical, but my feeling is it will be a question of time,” said Guardiola, who has won 15 major trophies during his decade in charge.

‎”We are not a complete team, that is a reality. I’ve been in a team at Manchester City where we were a team in all aspects. Still, we are not, but we have a final on Sunday, the FA Cup against Liverpool, and the Premier League is still tight.

‎”We need to finish the Premier League strong, prepare good decisions for the summer, and next season we will be back in the Champions League.”

‎Guardiola did lead City to Champions League glory in 2022/23, but just one European crown in 10 years is the one slight blemish on his record since arriving in Manchester.

‎However, he said he wants City to aspire to the demands of Madrid, where anything other than winning the competition is deemed a failure.

‎”I would love this club to be like Madrid where if you don’t win the Champions League, it is a failure. That is pressure.

‎”(At) City it is not the expectation. In time maybe we will get that.”