Barcelona vs Manchester City: Pep Guardiola says return to Nou Camp is ‘special’ but wants his team to relish Barca challenge
City coach returns to the scene of his greatest triumphs - and knows his team must counter the threat of MSN
PEP GUARDIOLA is sure tonight will be the perfect yardstick for his Manchester City revolution.
Four months since taking charge at the Etihad, he has guided his new club to the top of the Premier League.
Just one defeat in 13 games in all competitions so far, means things have gone better than the Spaniard could have imagined.
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But now comes the biggest test so far.
Back on familiar territory to face his old club and the team he regards as the best in the world.
Nobody did more than Guardiola to put them there — winning 14 trophies in four years in charge at Barcelona.
He knows the Nou Camp inside out and feels this Champions League clash will give a clear indication of the job he has taken on.
Guardiola said: “We’ve had just a few months working together. I am still getting to know my players.
“It’s a good test for the moment we’re at because we are playing one of the best teams in the world — if not the best.
“I want to know our level against the best. I need to know my players as quickly as possible.
“We must see how we respond because it’s not a friendly game. We need the points and we’re going to try to win them.
“We can’t forget that City went 35 years without competing in Europe. That’s a long time.
“You are important in Europe when you have been there a lot of time and that’s the next target, to be competing every time against the big clubs.
“I know what I want to do, we are going to try and we will see if we are able to do it.”
Guardiola, 45, comes up against his one-time Barca team-mate Luis Enrique and is full of praise for the job he has done at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi inspired Barca to victory over Pep’s Bayern in a Champions League semi- final in 2015 on his only previous return to the Nou Camp as a coach. He recalled: “Yes it’s not first time we’ve faced each other and he gave me a bit of a whipping.
“But I had no doubt he would do well here. When I was in the first team he was in the youth team and he was direct, honest, very hard-working.
“He’s had great success here, I’m sure he will have a very successful third year. He is doing many things better than I was doing.”
As group games in this competition go, this promises to be one of the more memorable.
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Guardiola is urging his players to “be themselves” but accepts he may have to compromise some things against such quality opposition. He added: “They’re a special team for the way they play, not just the front players.
“They control absolutely all departments of the game. You have to adjust but try to be ourselves as much as possible.”
Defender Pablo Zabaleta has been part of City’s two previous Champions League defeats against his
Argentina team-mate Messi and Co — both in the last 16. And Zabaleta, 31, said: “They attack, create and score goals, so we need to play a perfect game and can’t leave them alone at any time.
“We don’t want to make the game easy for them.
“We have a new manager with a new style of play. We have played a few times against Barcelona and could not beat them. Always there’s a chance with a new manager.
“At the moment we’ve been playing good football and we’re coming to Barcelona playing our style and not changing anything,
“We’re playing one of the greatest teams and we have respect for them but we will try to win it. The manager has been preparing to find the best way to attack and create damage to Barcelona’s defence and how to be solid when we have the ball.
“We will try to have control of the ball and keep the ball. Barca are a team that likes to play in a similar way to us.
“We expect an attractive game and the quality will make the difference.
“At the moment we’ve been playing good football and we’re coming to Barcelona playing our style and not changing anything,
“We’re playing one of the greatest teams and we have respect for them but we will try to win it.
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"The manager has been preparing to find the best way to attack and create damage to Barcelona’s defence and how to be solid when we have the ball.
“We will try to have control of the ball and keep the ball. Barca are a team that likes to play in a similar way to us.
“We expect an attractive game and the quality will make the difference.