Pep Guardiola eyes full house of Manchester City trophies after Super Cup success

ATHENS – Pep Guardiola is targeting a “full circle” of trophies as Manchester City boss, after winning the club’s first Uefa Super Cup with a victory on penalties over Sevilla after a 1-1 draw in Athens.

The European champions had to come from behind after Youssef En-Nesyri’s towering first-half header gave the Spanish side the lead.

City were far from their slick best, but hit back to force the game to penalties through Cole Palmer’s equaliser.

Guardiola’s men were then perfect from the spot and prevailed 5-4 in the shoot-out after Sevilla defender Nemanja Gudelj smashed his shot against the bar.

Should City win the Club World Cup in December, it would complete Guardiola’s honours list since arriving in England: Five Premier League titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups and the club’s first Champions League.

“We are really pleased for the club to win this,” he said. “We miss just one to finish the full circle and have all the titles we can have.”

Jack Grealish said the players were told how much the Spaniard coveted the trophy, adding: “The manager made it so clear to us before the game how much he wants this trophy. You want to win everything anyway but that gave us more of an urge.”

Guardiola has bemoaned his side’s lack of preparation for the new season, which showed under the baking heat in the Greek capital.

City badly missed the creative presence of Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva through injury and illness.

A

four-month absence for de Bruyne due to a serious hamstring injury

has exacerbated the loss of firepower offered by Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez since last season.

West Ham United’s Brazilian international Lucas Paqueta has been linked with a move to the Etihad, and this performance may serve as further proof City need to strengthen before the transfer market closes.

“We are not in the best moment, I would say,” Guardiola acknowledged.

“Football in these games, in this period, is a (toss of a) coin.”

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand added on TNT Sports: “I think they’ve got to go and find someone who can get goals.

“They’ve lost Mahrez, they’ve lost Gundogan, they’ve now lost Kevin de Bruyne – three massive, influential players in terms of goals and assists.”

Sevilla began their La Liga season with a disappointing 2-1 home defeat by Valencia.

But just as they did last season in lifting a seventh Europa League despite a 12th-placed league finish, they rose to the big occasion.

Josko Gvardiol was making his first start for City since a €90 million (S$133.3 million) move from RB Leipzig.

But the Croatian international was beaten to Marcos Acuna’s cross by En-Nesyri, whose bullet header went in off the post.

City’s sluggishness was evident again after the interval, when Lucas Ocampos skipped past Kyle Walker’s desperate lunge to set up En-Nesyri with a golden chance to double Sevilla’s lead.

The Moroccan striker was one-on-one with Ederson but fired straight into the Brazilian goalkeeper’s legs.

“When we had the chances to score the second goal, we didn’t take them,” said Sevilla boss Jose Luis Mendilibar.

Sevilla were left to rue that miss, as City hit back against the run of play on 63 minutes.

Mahrez’s departure has opened the door to City academy graduate Palmer, and the England Under-21 international, who also scored against Arsenal in the Community Shield, is taking his chance.

Rodri, City’s hero with the only goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, this time provided a perfectly measured cross for Palmer to head past Yassine Bounou.

Palmer’s future remains uncertain, with Guardiola saying: “He’s going to stay or going to sell, but I think a loan is not going to happen.”

En-Nesyri was guilty of another wasted one-on-one moments later, as Ederson flew off his line to make a block.

Erling Haaland had scored twice in all of his previous three appearances against Sevilla, but the Norwegian barely got a sight of goal before the spot kicks.

Bounou was playing what is expected to be his final game for Sevilla before a move to Saudi side Al-Hilal.

However, there was no perfect ending for the Moroccan international as Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Mateo Kovacic, Grealish and Walker all held their nerve to score in the shoot-out. AFP