The head coach of Manchester City, Josep Guardiola, commented on his team’s second defeat in the confrontation with Real in the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
Josep Guardiola. Photo: Getty Images"The strongest won. Deservedly. This season we haven’t been that good — I felt that in previous seasons we surpassed the Madrid team, but this time it was different. In this tournament, the quality of the game always matters. This season the Madrid team is ready for long [ball] control. They are dynamic, quick in counterattacks, and press well. What else is left but to accept this and move on.
Nothing is eternal. It was hard to come here after a 2:3 [in the first match]. And now we need to learn from this, accepting that there are still, I don't know, 30 or 40 matches [this season] ahead. We must try to win the FA Cup, we must try to finish the Premier League in the top four, and we must attempt to return to this tournament at the former level in a year.
I have nothing to reproach my team for over many years of their performances in the Champions League. When we were eliminated by the Madrid team in the past, I felt we were very close to success. We reached the semifinals and the finals. Today, however, when another team is sportingly stronger than you, you have to accept it and congratulate them," — quotes Guardiola the official UEFA website.
