Pep Guardiola maintains that Manchester City will only be a “big club” if they win this weekend’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Victory would not only complete the treble, making Manchester United the only English team to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League all in the same season.
But it would confirm City’s place as a “big club” amongst the elite in Europe, according to Guardiola. “So many clubs have destroyed projects and ideas because they weren’t able to win this competition, and so many have become big clubs because they were able to win it,” he said.
“We must also accept that if we want to make a definitive step as a big club, we must win in Europe. We have to win the Champions League, that’s something you can’t avoid. But the most important thing is to be there again and again and again. Two years ago, we were there. Two years later, we are here again.”
Guardiola added: “The most important thing is to be here again in a few years. That’s what defines a big club when, year after year, you make it to the Champions League fighting in the latest stages and winning the title.”
Inter will bring everything of their history into the final, according to the Catalan, but it will be meaningless. City aim for the treble against a club with a great European history, three times winners, and a treble already under their belt from 2009-10.
Guardiola, on the other hand, stressed that Saturday’s match will be decided not by previous success or failure, but by who plays the best on the night.
“We’re going to try to do our best and we know the final is how you behave in that specific 95 minutes, not history,” said Guardiola.
“For history, they are better than us. It is about what you have to do to be better than the opponent in 95 minutes. It doesn’t count what you have done in the group stages or the Premier League or the FA Cup. We have to be better than them.”
Inter won back-to-back European Cups in 1964-65 and again in 2010 as part of a treble, while City’s only appearance in the final, in 2021, ended in defeat against Chelsea. Guardiola insisted that City will enter the season’s final game in good shape and with confidence.
“I cannot deny the quality of the opponent, but we are confident. I’m so optimistic,” he said.
Guardiola has also admitted to committing mistakes that contributed to his team’s loss to Chelsea in the final two years ago.
However, the City boss insisted that his treble-chasing team is a different side heading into Saturday’s chance at redemption. Guardiola admitted losing in the 2021 final against Chelsea in Porto was inevitable, owing to his team’s lack of a defensive midfielder.
Despite the fact that he insists to this day that he had his reasons, it was the first time in 50 matches that neither of the two had started. Guardiola, a perfectionist, is still nursing injuries from that high-wire fall, but with an established side this season and his starting XI locked in if Kyle Walker passes a health test, it is unlikely to happen again.
More crucially, Guardiola emphasized that City are approaching this game in much better shape and strength than they were two years ago. When asked what is different this time, Guardiola stated: “One week ago we won the FA Cup but in that moment two years ago we were just preparing a final and we’d lost two times against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea and had some doubts.
“It is not the same, but both Chelsea and Inter play five in the back. The approach was defensive, too. It is not similar, but there are some things. Hopefully, we can attack a little bit better. We travel there to accomplish a dream, and we will try to have a good game and win the final.
“We know we had a chance two years ago. We didn’t make it by the narrowest margin last year. But we are there again this year and will try to give our best.”
