Pep Guardiola: 'With a full squad of 11, Manchester City could still lose 0-6'

Pep Guardiola acknowledges Manchester City is not yet perfected following the 1-2 defeat against Real Madrid, and states the team will gain experience and soon return more powerfully to the Champions League.

Pep Guardiola shared candid remarks after Manchester City suffered a 1-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg, thus ending their run with a 1-5 aggregate score over two matches.

Speaking after the match, the Spanish strategist emphasized the major difficulty arising from the team playing with fewer men after Bernardo Silva's red card: “It’s tough playing 10 against 11. We gave everything. The future is still bright. There’s a lesson to be learned. With 11 against 11 we might still lose 0-6, but we’ll never know.”

Pep also readily praised goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who repeatedly denied Manchester City’s chances: “Courtois is an outstanding goalkeeper. At Etihad, he was consistently the best player on the pitch.”

Regarding the incident leading to Bernardo Silva’s red card, Pep Guardiola said it was merely an immediate reflex: “Give me the chance to play 11 against 11. It was a reaction, an instinct from Bernardo Silva. That’s how it is.”

Notably, the 53-year-old manager admitted his team has not yet reached a perfect state: “The reality is we are not yet a complete team. I once had a Manchester City perfected in every aspect, but currently we are not.”

Despite ending their Champions League journey, Pep affirmed there are still many important objectives this season: “We still have a crucial match on Sunday, the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool. The Premier League must be fought to finish well, and we must prepare the right decisions for next season. Next season, we will return to the Champions League.”

Finally, Pep Guardiola clarified that the statement “we will return” refers not only to himself but to the club as a whole: “When I retire in another ten years, Manchester City will still be in the Champions League. I say ‘we will return’ because I am part of this club. It’s the same with Barcelona or Bayern Munich, where I have been involved. When I say ‘we’, it’s because I belong here.”