Pep Guardiola admits it might take Manchester City 10 years to be a major Champions League contender
The ex-Barcelona manager does not hang around clubs for long but reckons City could need a decade to play catch up with Spanish and Italian greats
A WEEK is a long time in football. The next decade will feel like a lifetime for Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola believes super-club status, and earning the respect of European football’s elite, is still ten years away.
Barcelona’s history, Real Madrid’s glamour and Bayern Munich’s relentless pursuit of the Champions League puts them way out in front.
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City, who made their first semi- final appearance last season, have some serious catching up to do.
They are a long way behind Real (11 Euro wins), AC Milan (seven), Bayern and Liverpool (both five) and even Nottingham Forest (two).
Guardiola, who led Barca to Euro success in 2009 and 2011, is the man to change City’s destiny.
Ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Borussia Monchengladbach, he said: “Maybe in ten years people will talk about City as one of the candidates to win it. We are talking about the Spanish teams — Barcelona, Real, Atletico, plus Bayern, Juventus.
“They have had a long time in Europe and that counts for a lot in terms of respect from opponents, respect from Fifa and respect from Uefa. We just need time to achieve that level.”
There was a glimpse of the glory days ahead when they beat Barcelona 3-1 at the Etihad in their last group game.
That was the football Sheikh Mansour paid the big bucks for, turning to Guardiola to bridge the gap between the haves and have nots.
It all came together against Barca that night, with two from Ilkay Gundogan and another from Kevin De Bruyne avenging their going over in the Nou Camp a few weeks earlier. Now a point at Gladbach, or against Celtic in the final group game, will probably secure their place in the last 16.
For Real, Barca and the rest, reaching the latter stages of the Champions League is standard.
To City, only in their sixth season rubbing shoulders with the big boys, it usually takes a super-human effort to make it through.
Guardiola added: “Since the Abu Dhabi chairman bought the club, we have been fighting to make this step forward. We have invested, like all the other big clubs, to try to reduce the distance.”
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There was passion in Spaniard Guardiola’s voice on Tuesday, real conviction about the future for City.
He is part of it for three years but there was also a hint he may be prepared to be around for the moment when people speak of City in the same breath as Real and Barca.
He added: “It depends how satisfied the club is with me. How satisfied the fans and chairman are, if I am tired or not, and if I am still willing to fight with this club.
“Until now, I could only assure you I would stay three years but I am happy here.”
Pep’s brief is to win titles, to establish a way of playing that raises the level beyond anything European or English football can throw at them.
But to take City to the next level, Guardiola craves time on the training pitches.
The relentless slog is playing into the hands of Liverpool and Chelsea, as their two domestic challengers have a season without European football.
Pep added: “We played eight games in the Champions League more than Liverpool and Chelsea.
“Hopefully we are able to get to February, March or April when the team will be better and better.
“Of course the challenge is to fight for the Prem and in Europe, too.”
Win the biggest trophy of all and City really will command respect.