Manchester City donât have match-winners like Paris Saint-Germain, claims Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola believes that Manchester City doesnât have the same strength in squad depth as PSG does ahead of their Champions League clash. The Cityzens face the reigning French champions in what will be their first semi-final clash under Guardiola, with them favourites to win the trophy.
Following a 1-0 win at Wembley against Tottenham Spurs, City lifted a fourth successive Carabao Cup on Sunday, courtesy of a late header from French defender Aymeric Laporte and it means that Pep Guardiola has delivered the ninth trophy in his five-year reign at Etihad Stadium. However, the Champions League remains missing from the club's trophy cabinet and it is one that they are looking to change this season.
The Premier League's champions elect play their first Champions League semi-final under Pep Guardiola on April 29th against Paris Saint-Germain with it billed as the game of the week especially with no clear favourite. But ahead of the semi-final clash, Guardiola has admitted that Manchester City lack match-winning game-changers like Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in their side.
However, the Spaniard believes that his team have enough as a team and has urged them to go strength by strength and function as a collective unit rather than depending on one man if they desire to make it to the Champions League finals. Being wary of PSGâS unlimited firepower, Guardiola has urged his men to be their absolute best if they wanna make a âclear differenceâ and walk away as winners over two legs.
âWe maybe donât have a single player who is capable to win a game all on his own like Messi, Ronaldo, MbappĂ© or Neymar. But the average level of my players is so high that no replacement throws the team off balance. When people ask me to speak about players, about their qualities, I always respond with the same thing: you just have to watch. Turn your TV on and enjoy. Kevin, he is like a knife, we say in Spanish. When he decides to go for it, he sees passes and the game,â Guardiola said, reported Goal.