Pep Guardiola plays down chances of Manchester City quadruple
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Monday 28 January 2019 11:12, UK
Pep Guardiola has played down talk of Manchester City winning the quadruple this season but urged them to try and imitate the leading clubs in Europe if they are to join the ranks of the elite.
City resume their Premier League title defence away to Newcastle on Tuesday but Guardiola insists they must simply focus on each game as it comes as they continue to chase silverware across four competitions.
"I know you are so generous and thank you very much guys but every time you make that comment [on winning the quadruple] we lose a competition!" he said.
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"It's important that in January we are there.
"With the big clubs, that is the big difference, what are the best clubs in the last decade? Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, these are the best three teams in the last decade in Europe, why?
"Because every season they win the league, every season they win the cups, every season they are there and that is what I want.
"When I say Bayern Munich, Juventus, Barcelona are the best it is because it doesn't matter what happened before, they go again, and again, and again.
"That is the most difficult thing. Win one night, two nights, one title, two titles - that can happen but that consistency every three days for 11 months, for 10 years, that's what I respect and admire the most.
"That will be my dream in the club, to live something [like that] that in the period that we were together, every single game and every single competition we tried to do that. And so far we have done it."
Guardiola's side struggled for form around Christmas, as they suffered back-to-back defeats at home to Crystal Palace and away to Leicester.
That appears to have been just a blip, however, with City subsequently winning their last eight matches in all competitions and scoring 33 goals in the process.
A number of injured players, including playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and left-back Benjamin Mendy, have recently returned from injury, a factor Guardiola feels has offered them a further boost.
"It gives us a lot of encouragement," Guardiola said of Belgian star De Bruyne's return to fitness.
"But I repeat many times, this is the only way if you have four competitions, in this league, in this weather conditions, the physicality, you have competitions every three days, no rest, mentally and physically, we need them.
"So we needed Kevin back and Benjamin back."
