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Cape Town - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has identified that his charges need to be mentally stronger in order to challenge for the UEFA Champions League silverware.
The City boss said after the Premier League winners' victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday his side were not yet ready to win Europe's elite competition.
City are again rated among the favourites but in the past three years they have stumbled in the knockout stages and Guardiola feels there are mental hurdles that must be overcome.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday's Group C clash with Atalanta, Guardiola said: "I think the way we are really strong as a team has been built up from four seasons ago.
"But it's more for the fact that two times in the Champions League we went out on away goals and in both games, we conceded a lot of goals.
"In this competition, you play against incredible players and, if you give some teams one moment, a metre, they will score. We have to know that.
"These little margins are sometimes the difference and we're working on that. I believe that kind of situation is about the mentality.
"We're good enough and we're strong enough. When you play good, you defend less. When you don't play good, you concede a lot."
City beat Palace 2-0, bouncing back from their loss to Wolves prior to the international break, but Guardiola felt they should have won more convincingly.
- TeamTalk Media
