Man City manager Pep Guardiola will be leading his side to the Champions League final vs Chelsea this weekend and speaking ahead of the match, the Spaniard has voiced a very genuine concern.
City have been almost undisputed this season both domestically as well as in Europe and after suffering quarter-final exits in the past few seasons, Pep Guardiola has finally managed to guide his into the final. And while the manager is pretty clear and focused on how he wants to handle Chelsea on Saturday but he is fearing that some of his players might cave in given the sheer pressure of playing in a Champions League final.
“Some players go out there with tension, some struggle, but they have to handle this,” he said at his pre-match press conference.
“I’m pretty sure we have to suffer to win the final. It’s nice to say enjoy it but sometimes it’s not possible. You have to be resilient and adjust.
“I know exactly the way we want to play, with whom we are going to play and I am not going to bother them much. It is an incredible privilege to be here. I never expected at the start of my career to play one final of the Champions League. Now we are here. We are lucky.
“I know exactly what I am going to tell them. I don’t want to bother them too much. The guys who are anxious or nervous I am going to tell them it is normal and the guys who are more relaxed it is normal as well.
“Everyone will handle it their own way.”
Most of the Man City as well as the Chelsea players will be playing in their first ever Champions League final and there’s no doubt it’s City who have the edge here.
But while Pep Guardiola is anxious that his players might fall prey to the occasion but we have a feeling the manager himself could suffer the same consequences.
Chelsea have beaten Manchester City not once but twice in the past few months and these defeats are surely ringing inside Guardiola’s head before he prepares his side for the final. Man City have always been at their best whenever Pep Guardiola has chosen to keep things simple but every time the manager has tried to experiment, his team’s performances have suffered.
And there’s a big chance that just to try and set the record straight, Pep might overdo things on Saturday as well.
