With home advantage, good form and confidence from an impressive derby performance and win behind them, City should back themselves to come through against a side they beat twice – albeit with a little difficulty – last season.
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The North-West outfit have a 100% record so far this season having won all four Premier League games and their Champions League playoff.
Guardiola’s men received widespread praise for a lot of their play, particularly in the first half, in Saturday’s 2-1 derby defeat of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The real adventure begins on Tuesday as Manchester City kickoff their group-stage campaign against German side Borussia Monchengladbach.
Here are five things Guardiola may need to improve if the former Barca and Bayern Munich manager is to keep up his record of never failing to reach the semifinals of the Champions League.
“So we have to improve to win the Premier League, from what I have seen in these three or four games”.
“But it’s not enough to win the Premier League or achieve the big, big targets in the Champions League”.
Guardiola cited Manchester United’s record in 2008, 2009 and 2011, when they secured the Premier League crown and reached three Champions League finals, losing two to Guardiola’s Barcelona. So we have to improve.
“After two months, all the teams have to improve, especially for the managers who are new”.
Given the increased competition in the Premier League, English football’s intense schedule and absence of a winter break, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the City chairman, and chief executive, Ferran Soriano, have questioned privately whether it is still possible for a team to win the Premier League and Champions League in a single season.
After 37 years during which they did not play a single game in Europe’s top club competition, Gladbach are appearing in the Champions League group phase for the second season running.
“We have played part of most of the games at a high level, and of course we have to continue”.
One negative aspect for City has been the criticism levelled at goalkeeper Claudio Bravo after a hard debut. He showed huge personality. That is what I tried to say after the game. I spoke to him before and he said he watched me at Liverpool.
“If you ask me whether we are ready to compete in Europe, we are not ready”. Whether it is Claudio or Willy Caballero, they’re going to make mistakes in the future. “I’m pretty sure of that”. In a group which includes favourites Barcelona, City are keen to get off to a good start: “They are a fearless team, [with a] courageous coach – one of the best teams in Europe”, he said.
Guardiola has now turned his attention to the Champions League and the visit Monchengladbach.
Guardiola said: “They are a fearless team, (with a) courageous coach – one of the best teams in Europe”.
And Sterling added that, given the quality within the City squad, they are capable of challenging on all fronts.
They’re going to make mistakes, the opponents are going to score goals.
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“It was hard, especially in the second half, because they were much stronger physically and in the air but I think we coped well and we had the chances to get the third in the second half”. “We should be challenging for every competition we go in for”. Football is a great game, it is fun, and we always go into games with a feeling of being up for it rather than thinking we are going to lose.
