SM
Newcastle vs. West Ham: 13 hrs 27 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Pep Guardiola "incredibly optimistic" ahead of Real Madrid test

:Headline: Pep Guardiola 'incredibly optimistic' ahead of Real Madrid test: ID:407342: from db_amp
City lead 2-1 from the first leg.

Pep Guardiola feels "incredibly excited and incredibly optimistic" as he switches focus to Manchester City's Champions League clash with Real Madrid next month.

City will host the newly-crowned Spanish champions in the delayed second leg of their last-16 tie, leading 2-1 from the first encounter in February, on August 7.

After Saturday's loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals, City now only have two Premier League games on which nothing rests for them to play before the visit of the LaLiga side.

“We know if we play at a decent level, higher than we played against Arsenal, we'll have our chance”
- Pep Guardiola

City have played some exhilarating football at times this season but the Arsenal result highlighted some frailties Guardiola is determined to learn from.

The City manager said: "Part of the good work Arsenal have done, I give them a lot of credit for – what they did, how good they defended.

"We didn't do it properly. We had enough chances to score goals and we didn't do it. I just congratulate them, learn from this and prepare for Madrid. We move forward, it's forgotten.

"Now we are incredibly excited and incredibly optimistic about the game against Madrid, for the players we have.

"We know if we play at a decent level, higher than we played against Arsenal, we'll have our chance. If not, we'll be out."

Guardiola wants to see City back at their best this week (Dave Thompson/NMC Pool)

Guardiola wants his side to use this week's closing Premier League games against Watford and Norwich to rediscover their best.

He said: "(Find) our game, come back who we are. With and without the ball, we are good when we go full gas – when we are a team with no fear, when it doesn't matter what happens and we play.

"That's what we have to take from these two games. Watford and Norwich can beat us, but beat us being who we are."

Guardiola was impressed by Arsenal, who are now managed by his former assistant Mikel Arteta – although he made a distinction in his thoughts about the club on and off the field.

Guardiola (right) drew a distinction between Arsenal on and off the pitch in his praise of the Gunners (Peter Powell/NMC Pool)

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was a noted critic of City and their past spending in relation to Financial Fair Play regulations.

Guardiola said: "The opponents always deserve my respect and credit, and Arsenal, they have it.

"I have all the respect for what Arsenal are on the pitch – not much off the pitch, but on the pitch a lot. So I congratulate them and good luck against Chelsea in the final."

“To be in a fifth season makes me so proud”
- Pep Guardiola

Next season will be Guardiola's fifth at City, meaning he will have stayed at the club longer than his previous managerial jobs at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

He said: "It's a challenge for me, I've never been five years in one club, to see if we will be able to maintain the levels that we have in the previous seasons.

"In one world where everyone sacks everyone, for managers to keep doing the same job for a long time is so difficult. To be in a fifth season makes me so proud."

amp_article__407342 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-07-20 21:58:28:
html db last update - 2020-07-20 21:58:28 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Pep Guardiola

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Share this article now:
Read more about Pep Guardiola Football
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .