Do you have the strength to continue? Guardiola's strange response after City's elimination

Manchester City could not overturn the 2-3 defeat from the first leg of the Champions League 'play-off' against Real Madrid and, instead, returned to England with a harsh defeat (3-1) and the confirmation of what many see as the end of the most successful cycle in the history of the 'sky blue' team. After the match at the Santiago Bernabéu, Pep Guardiola once again guaranteed his continuity on the Manchester bench, this time with a somewhat strange phrase, showing his annoyance at what was a very disappointing elimination for his team.

"Ehhh... yes. Yes, yes, yes. I want to continue, yes, yes", said a somewhat distracted Pep. The Santpedor native admitted once again the superiority of Madrid, not without first valuing what has been achieved during his time on the 'sky blue' bench. "Nothing lasts forever, but we cannot deny that what this group of players has done in Europe, with what that competition is, always being in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals... says a lot about how well we have done", he added.

Guardiola makes it clear what the City's objective will be this season

Pep renewed his contract with City for one more season, until June 2026, and it is unlikely that the board will decide to dismiss him. However, the manager's weariness is evident, especially since the team continues to underperform in major matches and the reinforcements signed in January have not produced the desired impact. At the Bernabéu, Guardiola included central defender Kushanov, Egyptian Marmoush, and Nico González in his XI, but beyond the goal scored by the former FC Barcelona midfielder towards the end, Madrid was superior from start to finish.

Beyond the tough crisis in Manchester, his coach ruled out feeling helpless about the Champions League elimination. "We have been a fantastic team and this year for many reasons we are not. We have achieved something unique in our country and in Europe, we have won once and we have been there many times. We need to make decisions at the team and club level to qualify among the top four or five in the Premier and return to the Champions League", Pep pointed out. City is still alive in the FA Cup, but clearly the manager will focus on finishing the league without troubles to close a disappointing season.