MANCHESTER – Pep Guardiola said Manchester City have earned their place among the perennial contenders for Champions League glory, after reaching the quarter-finals for a seventh consecutive season on March 6.
Guardiola could even afford the luxury of resting several stars in a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium that completed a 6-2 aggregate rout.
“The important thing is being there (in the quarter-finals) seven years in a row, it’s quite impressive. We are well-respected from our opponents. The numbers are there – our consistency,” he said.
“I remember when I arrived, we didn’t believe, the club didn’t believe we could do it because we didn’t have the hierarchy in Europe like teams in Spain or Germany. It was a question of time, a process.
“The problem is the managers in modern football don’t have time. They gave me time, our hierarchy, so credit to them to accept the process. Now we are a team that believe we can do it.”
Goals from Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez killed the tie as a contest inside 10 minutes, before Erling Haaland drilled in his 29th goal of the season and his 41st in the Champions League just before half-time.
Mohamed Elyounoussi had briefly reduced the deficit to 2-1 for the Danish champions on the night, but Copenhagen were outclassed over two legs as the European champions remain on course for another treble.
City conquered Europe for the first time in their history last season and Guardiola acknowledged his side are now seen as favourites ahead of the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
The English champions have not lost a Champions League game at the Etihad since 2018 and became the first side in the competition’s history to score three or more goals in nine consecutive home games.
Guardiola showed he had one eye on the top-of-the-table English Premier League clash on March 10 at Liverpool, as he made seven changes from the side that beat Manchester United last weekend.
Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were among those spending the 90 minutes on the bench to rest up ahead of the trip to Anfield.
“Today, I need energy, fresh legs,” said Guardiola. “I know how tired, exhausted some of my players were today...
“We play on Sunday. So I need fresh legs.”
City are a point behind Liverpool and a point ahead of Arsenal after 27 league games in tight title race. They are also in the thick of the FA Cup, with a quarter-final against Newcastle United on March 16.
“To be part of the titles, we need everyone. For one more year, we are in the best eight teams in Europe. Incredibly happy we are still in all competitions,” Guardiola said.
City have won 18 and drawn two of their last 20 games in all competitions, and remain the side to beat when the draw for the Champions League quarters and semi-finals is done on March 15. Joining City are Real, Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain, with the final four teams to be determined next week.
“We feel good right now. We’re confident going into the next round. We are one of the favourites but have to prove it,” Akanji said.
Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup believes City can retain their Champions League title.
“They’re going to win it, they are just a level up in everything,” he said.
“We have played (City) two seasons in a row and Man City are getting better. They are top players, the structure they have is amazing. It is not just the technical and tactical. They work hard.” AFP, REUTERS
