“I’m more calm” – Pep Guardiola admits last year’s UEFA Champions League battle left a mark on him

Guardiola: I’m more calm than last season

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Guardiola was candid about the difference in his own state of mind heading into the business end of the campaign.

“In the moment of the game or hours before, I feel…But the process between games and the other one, I’m more calm than last season,” he said.

“Last season, (it) was 24 hours thinking about what happens in the club if we won’t qualify for the (UEFA) Champions League. And I felt that a lot.

“I can imagine when a team is not to be relegated, this kind of stuff, it changes the clubs, it changes the players, financially you cannot do an investment for good players. At the end, it’s the reason why the team has success, because they have good players.

“But this season, we won the Carabao Cup, the final of the FA Cup again – still fighting against this Arsenal. So what can I say, it’s really good.”

UCL exit will be a good learning for next season, admits Pep

Guardiola also addressed City’s Round of 16 exit from the Champions League this season at the hands of Real Madrid, accepting the reality while framing it as something that will make the club stronger in the long run.

Predicted Starting Line-Up: Everton vs Manchester City (Premier League)

“I would love to go through in the Champions League but the level is higher and it will be good learnings for me for the next season. It will be good for that competition, sometimes you have to approach,” the 55-year-old added.

The view from inside City’s camp, then, is one of genuine optimism – not the forced positivity of a team papering over cracks, but the settled confidence of a squad that has rediscovered what it is capable of.

Three trophies are still within reach before the season ends. Guardiola has been in this position many times before – and he is enjoying it as ever.