City suffered Champions League semi-final heartbreak in the Santiago Bernabeu after two late Rodrygo goals and an extra-time Karim Benzema penalty took the Spanish champions through to the final.
Now we must focus on the Premier League, knowing four more victories will seal a fourth title in five seasons. That starts on Sunday afternoon when Newcastle United visit the Etihad Stadium.
CITY V NEWCASTLE | KICK OFF TIME & LAST TIME OUT
When addressing the media on Friday, our manager insisted that this Champions League elimination will not alter his drive to win trophies.
“Always I am starving,” he said.
“I know people outside of here demand Champions League, Champions League, Champions League.
“We know it. The moment we win the Champions League it will be because of the money we spend. It is difficult to win it.
“I tell you this is good for us. I would love to be in the final in Paris, live it and be better in the future.”
City’s controlled approach in Madrid meant Real failed to register a shot on target until Rodrygo’s 90th minute strike. However, that was closely followed by a second for the Brazilian winger.
That took City from the brink of a final into extra-time but Guardiola insists that the reaction to the first goal does not insinuate anything about the resilience of his squad in difficult moments.
He said: “There was no time for mentality. It [the second goal] was 45 seconds later. There was no time to fall down. How do you use big data to analyse that? It’s football. It happens. When it happens, accept it.
“Now people say lack of character. What if Jack Grealish scores the two chances he has? That is character? The margins are like this and we have to handle it.
“You play with emotions. The emotions are uncontrollable. I never blame for things - always you can do better.”
The embargoed written section and video of Friday’s press conference will appear on mancity.com and our official app from 22:30 (UK) Saturday evening.
Watch the first part of Pep Guardiola‘s press conference on the video above.
City v Newcastle United
City welcome Newcastle United to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
The game kicks off at 16:30 (UK) and we will have full coverage on the official Man City app, which provides everything you need in one place.
Minute-by-minute text updates get under way in our Matchday Centre at 14:30 (UK), whilst our Matchday Live show starts one hour before kick-off.
Presenter Natalie Pike will be joined in the studio by Steve Howey and Shaun Goater, who will be providing the usual mix of analysis and entertainment before the game begins.
Our guests will also be answering fans’ questions throughout the show and you can get involved by sending a WhatsApp to +447537186538.
They’ll reconvene at half-time and to share their thoughts on the opening 45-minutes and again after the full-time whistle for an in-depth debrief, which will include reaction from Pep Guardiola and a player.
During the game, you can enjoy live audio commentary in the Matchday Centre, as Alistair Mann and Michael Brown guide you through the 90-minutes.
