Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said that they have to win the Champions League to consider themselves among the best amid Premier League title celebrations.
The Cityzens’ Premier League championship was confirmed already on Saturday after Arsenal was beaten 1-0 by relegation-haunted Nottingham Forest. This victory secured a Premier League spot for the Tricky Trees, took Arsenal out of the title equation, and made Manchester City the 2022-23 Premier League Champions.
Goodnight! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/T37ansa5BR
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 21, 2023
Manchester City lifted the trophy on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium in front of 50,000 crazy fans after defeating Chelsea 1-0. The players, coaches, staff, as well as fans, went wild during the celebrations. A huge number of fans even broke into the pitch, going wild, waving blue flags, and chanting.
An enthusiastic Pep Guardiola appeared before Sky Sports in a post-title-celebration interview. As enthusiastic as he was, he was still focused on winning the treble, as he believed that the City team would face criticism should they fail to defeat Inter Milan in the Champions League final on June 10.
“To be considered one of the greatest teams we have to win Europe, we have to win the Champions League,” said the 52-year-old Spanish manager.
🗣️ "You have to win it, the Champions League. To be considered one of the best teams. I'm sorry but you have to admit it."
Pep Guardiola says you have to win the Champions League to be considered one of the best sides. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/u9EwTy3ioM
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 21, 2023
How many times has Manchester City won the Premier League?
In the club’s 143-year history, Manchester City has won a total of nine English Premier League titles. Three of those came before the top league in England was revamped as the Premier League.
The first title after the Premier League revamp came under Italian manager Roberto Mancini in a famous final-day victory against Queens Park Rangers in 2012, where Sergio Aguero scored a 94th-minute winner in a nail-biting 3-2 game.
After Pep Guardiola took over the club in 2016, he won the Premier League title in his second season. In his 7 years with Manchester City, he has won 5 titles. An astonishing feat, isn’t it?
Has Pep Guardiola won the Champions League with Manchester City?
Despite his extraordinary achievements in the Premier League, Pep has yet to win the Champions League title with the Cityzens. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t done well in the Champions League with Manchester City, though.
Under Guardiola, City has performed consistently and become one of the strongest soccer sides in Europe. The Spanish manager guided the Cityzens to the Champions League final in the 2020/21 season, where they were narrowly beaten by Chelsea.
In addition, City played the 2021/22 Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid, where they got knocked out by the defending Champions. This season, however, Guardiola took his revenge by blowing away Real Madrid in the semifinal.
Guardiola’s men will be facing Inter Milan in a thrilling UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10. Do you think Manchester City will be able to bring their maiden Champions League home this season? Let us know in the comments.
