Pep Guardiola shouldn’t be bought on the brand new Champions League format after Manchester Metropolis narrowly scraped by way of to the play-offs, however he believes the expertise has been an “unimaginable lesson”.
Metropolis needed to come from behind in Wednesday’s must-win conflict with Membership Brugge on the Etihad Stadium, as Raphael Onyedika’s strike put them on the point of a humiliating exit.
Mateo Kovacic and Savinho scored both facet of a Joel Ordonez personal aim within the second half, although, as Metropolis progressed to the Champions League’s knockout rounds for a twelfth successive season.
Bayern Munich, Actual Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are the one different groups to realize that feat in each marketing campaign since 2013-14.
However Metropolis completed an underwhelming twenty second within the new-look, 36-team desk, behind the likes of Celtic, Feyenoord, Brest, PSV and Lille.
“I’d say I don’t prefer it, as a result of we endure so much,” stated Guardiola of the brand new format, after Metropolis completed with three wins and two attracts from eight matches.
“We had been on the perch, 45 minutes to be out. It’s an unimaginable lesson for me and the gamers that nothing is without any consideration.”
Metropolis will face both Bayern or Madrid in a heavyweight play-off tie, with the draw to be made in Switzerland on Friday.
Whereas Metropolis’s type this season doesn’t bode effectively for a gathering with a kind of sides, Guardiola will at the very least have reinforcements accessible.
New signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis weren’t eligible to play within the league section however might be eligible for Metropolis’s play-off tie, whereas they may even hope to recuperate a choice of injured gamers.
“In two weeks we might be higher,” Guardiola stated. “Gamers will come again, we have now new signings.”
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti stated he would like to keep away from a gathering with Metropolis after Los Blancos beat Brest 3-0, however Guardiola was cautious concerning Metropolis’s probabilities.
“I don’t know if they’re comfortable to play in opposition to us, it’s what it’s. One is the king of the competitors, the opposite is the second or third king,” Guardiola stated of Madrid, who’ve 15 European titles and Bayern, who’ve six.
“We play this competitors with a thousand million issues. They’re favourites, sure, they’re higher than us proper now.”
Commenting on Metropolis’s fightback, Guardiola stated: “The primary half was so tutorial, we missed a spark, Savinho helped us. He modified the sport, after 5 minutes created two or three corners.
“Generally you’re profitable 2-0 or 3-0, you’re scared to lose. You might be 1-0 down, out of the Champions League, and in the fitting moments we discovered the targets.”
Brugge additionally snuck into the play-offs regardless of their loss, ending twenty fourth on aim distinction as Stuttgart dropped out.
They are going to face both Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund within the subsequent spherical.
