Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are not at Barcelona's level
City are currently favourites to win this season's Champions League
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Pep Guardiola believes his Manchester City side have some way to go before they reach the level of his former club Barcelona.
City are all but assured of passage to the Champions League quarter-finals for the second time in the club’s history on Wednesday night as they take a 4-0 advantage into the home leg of their last-16 tie against Basel.
Guardiola’s side are currently favourites to win the competition outright and could prove too much for any one of the other contenders if they can carry their domestic form over to the European stage.
After lifting the first trophy of the Guardiola era, the EFL Cup, at Wembley last month, City need just 12 more points to win the Premier League title and could be crowned against neighbours and nearest challengers Manchester United next month.
Guardiola, however, believes that his side must fill their trophy cabinet before they can compare themselves with Barcelona, who he led to three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns during his four years in charge at the Nou Camp.
When asked whether City were already at the same level as his former club, Guardiola bluntly replied: “No, because it is completely different players. They won a lot in the past. We are new.”
“We won now one title but it is not comparing. It is not good for us comparing with that team. That team dominate the last decade, 15-20 years with different managers, different players. We won just the first title. To join this kind of team, you have to be there a long time.”
Guardiola went on to call for focus from his players ahead of Basel’s visit, despite the comfortable lead established over the Swiss champions three weeks’ ago.
Barcelona are the only side to have ever overturned a four-goal deficit in a two-legged Champions League tie, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 to win 6-5 on aggregate last year. No team has ever reversed a four-goal margin having lost the first leg at home.
Even so, Guardiola warned his players that they cannot afford to show any signs of complacency.
“Tomorrow we start again from zero,” he said. “We have to be focused to not make a mistake, just to be focused on what we have to do. After, we can control the game and go through. That is the target.
“A Champions League game is something special and you have to be focused. In football everything can happen, red card, they can score one or two goals. Arsenal had amazing result in the Europa League (against Ostersunds) and after 2-0 in 10 minutes.”
Guardiola added: “The most important thing is it is in our hands. We are almost in the quarter-finals, we are almost champions of Premier League, but we are not in quarter-finals, we are not champions, that is the reality, that’s why we have to be calm. That is the best advice I can give to my players.
“Tomorrow, what we have to do will be just the second time in our whole history in quarter-finals of the Champions League. We don’t have legacy behind us. If people say we are favourites it is because maybe so far we have done really good, but Champions League is a completely different situation.”
Guardiola also made a point of reminding his players to stay disciplined on Wednesday night.
City were eliminated from the FA Cup at Wigan Athletic last month after Fabian Delph’s red card changed the game and Oleksandr Zinchenko was perhaps lucky to escape with only a yellow card for one forceful challenge on Victor Moses during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea.
“What happened in Wigan, with Fabian Delph 44 minutes red card, you don’t win the Champions League,” he said. “The action from Zinchenko in the first half, the tackle on Moses, it’s ‘orange’ – could be yellow, could be red. If it is red, you are out of the Champions League.
“Sometimes it’s not about how you play. Madrid before the first game against PSG: ‘Oh, Madrid is not good, PSG is going to win.’ 3-1, because Madrid. It is different competitions. Tomorrow, we have a big chance to be in the quarter-final for second time in our history and that is so important.”
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