Pep Guardiola has opened up about how Manchester City’s heartbreaking Champions League defeat to Chelsea in 2021 paved the way for last season’s treble triumph.
City were the favorites going into the English final in Porto, having dominated the Premier League title race and also clinching the EFL Cup.
But they lost their first Champions League final 1-0 to Thomas Tuchel’s team thanks to Kai Havertz’s goal just before half-time.
City manager Guardiola learned many lessons from that “disaster” and would lead his team to European glory two years later when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul.
City’s success in 2023 was even more spectacular because they had already won the Premier League and the FA Cup to complete a historic treble.
Pep Guardiola had to endure the anguish of Manchester City losing the 2021 Champions League final to Chelsea in Porto
City were favorites to win the 2021 final against Chelsea, but fell in Porto
But the Manchester City boss finally got his hands on the trophy again last year.
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‘You know what happened, we were the second best team in Europe. The second best team in Europe,” said Guardiola in the last episode of Series ‘Moments that made me’ from TNT Sports.
“We give an incredibly bad message when you reach the Champions League final and you don’t win, you are a loser, a failure, a disaster.
“They want you to be a failure or a disaster, but you can’t feel like a disaster or the second best team.”
‘On the margins they were a little better. Congratulations Chelsea and keep going.
“Maybe we needed to experience that, especially in this club, to achieve it. I don’t regret anything.
“We lost it, I could have done a lot of things differently, but you are the second best team in the world.
‘That’s why boys and girls, in any sport, when people say you’re not good, don’t believe it.
‘You know exactly when you’re good. If you do everything you can to achieve it, it is enough.”
City completed the treble by beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final last June.
Guardiola, 53, aims to lead City to back-to-back trebles as they continue to compete in three competitions this season.
They will face Real Madrid at the Bernabéu on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
In the league, they face Liverpool and Arsenal in the three-way fight for the title and Guardiola also told TNT Sports how outgoing Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has done better.
“When Liverpool didn’t win the Premier League with 97 points (in 2018-19), they did everything,” he said.
‘I’ll be completely honest with you. When I leave here and leave here and personally remember my period here, I will always remember the greatest rival and the incredible battles we had between us.
Guardiola praised Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for making him a better manager
“The reason I give incredible credit to the five Premier Leagues we won is because we were fighting against an incredible football club like Liverpool.
‘An incredible coach and his incredible staff and players. I will never forget these battles, never again in my life.
‘It’s an honour, throughout my career everyone knows that Klopp made me a better manager and Liverpool made me a better manager. There’s no doubt about that.’
Watch the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg between Real Madrid and Manchester City exclusively live on TNT Sports 2 from 7pm on Tuesday 9 April.