Why Manchester City boss is happy with his side draw with Real Madrid in Champions league
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini says he is happy by avoiding Barcelona and drawing with Real Madrid in the Champions league.
“It wasn’t a mental barrier,” he contested in his Friday press conference, an hour after his side were drawn against Real Madrid in the semifinal. “I think it was a Barcelona barrier, no? Especially the first season. I was not happy then because it was not the best Barcelona, but we were very unlucky with that penalty of [Martin] Demichelis in the last minute of the first game. It was a very tight and close game which decided the qualifying that year.
Manchester City boss is happy with his side draw with Real Madrid in Champions league
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12JefQQOTf4
[MyAd]
“The second year we played a very strong Barcelona, better than our team, with Neymar, Messi and Suarez in their best moments. That’s why they won the title.
“That was more than a mental barrier, but I’m sure with more experience and more games in the Champions League you improve your performance.”
“Not celebrate no,” he said after a second’s hesitation. “But if you ask me do I not prefer to play against them, I prefer not to play against them.”
[MyAd]
That’s five years ago,” he said. “I don’t remember too much things about that time so I don’t want to talk. In that moment we were in a very difficult season, maybe it was very unlucky to lose that league with 96 points and 102 or 103 goals.
“But the most important thing for me was that although we didn’t win a title – which in Real Madrid is very difficult – 75 percent of supporters wanted me to stay.”
It’s the same now. We have the same options, maybe another way of thinking is it’s more easy to say, ‘No they have all the pressure because they are a big team, we are invited only to the semifinal’, but I don’t think that is the way.
“We have the same options as Real Madrid, we are going to play against them like we always do, playing and thinking as a big team and we are going to try to score here the most amount of goals we can, so I hope this team will reach the final this year.”