Share

Not winning title not a disaster - Guardiola

London - Pep Guardiola does not believe his first season as Manchester City manager should be classed as a failure if he cannot guide the team to Premier League glory.

Guardiola won the league in his first seasons at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but his City side lie 10 points below leaders Chelsea and in fifth place after Saturday's 1-0 loss at Liverpool.

He does not see winning the league as the be-all and end-all of City's season, however, and says he is relishing the new challenge of being the hunter rather than the hunted.

"We have put a lot of stress about, 'Oh, if you don't win the Premier League, that is going to be not a good season'," he told reporters after the New Year's Eve defeat at Anfield.

"No, in that situation we're going to analyse what happened at the end of the season, what was good, what was bad. Now it's just focus on the next game against Burnley.

"I was always on top, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But OK, this is a new chapter in my career as a manager to handle that and I am willing to try it with these guys."

Chelsea have surged clear at the summit on the back of a 13-game winning streak, but Guardiola does not believe their points advantage is insurmountable.

"I was one time nine points (behind) with Barcelona, against Real Madrid I think," said the Catalan, whose side host Burnley on Monday.

"It was in February or in March and after we recover until (the gap was only) four (when Madrid won the league in 2012).

"But the question is, are we able to take the gap to Chelsea? Now what we have to do is believe in the next game."

In contrast to his early experiences with Barcelona and Bayern, Guardiola is yet to have a transformative effect on City's fortunes.

City's style of play has evolved, reflecting the importance Guardiola places on dominating possession, but they have lost four times already in the league and have struggled defensively.

Jurgen Klopp, Guardiola's former Borussia Dortmund adversary, has had over a year to remould Liverpool and the City manager said it would take him time to achieve similar results.

"I don't know, I'm not able to say that," Guardiola replied when asked how long it will take for City to become his team.

"Jurgen is here more than one season, one year. It's just five months for me. The way we want to play in this league is not that simple.

"We need a little bit more time. But I'm a guy who's so optimistic and we are going to try."

City's attempt to chase down Chelsea will be bolstered by the arrival of Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus following his $33 million transfer from Palmeiras.

The 19-year-old was due to arrive in Manchester this weekend and Guardiola expects him to make a swift impact.

"He was three years without holidays, he's fit, he's young," said Guardiola.

"It was just two or three weeks not training so I don't think we'll be (waiting) too much time (for him) to be fit."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1271 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1469 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2239 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE