Pep Guardiola says new Champions League format has been a great lesson

MANCHESTER – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is not entirely sold on the new Champions League format after his team barely scraped through to the knockout rounds with a 3-1 win, but called the experience an “incredible lesson” for his side.

City came back from a goal down to beat Belgian side Brugge on Jan 29 in a nerve-jangling must-win league-phase finale, to finish 22nd in the table – three places above the elimination spots.

“I would say I don’t like (the new format), because we suffer a lot,” said Guardiola, whose team won just two of their first seven games to set up the thriller.

“We were on the perch, 45 minutes to be out. It is an incredible lesson for me and the players that nothing is for granted.”

City face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the two-legged knockout round. And while City’s form this season does not bode well against either of the European heavyweights, the manager said he will at least have some reinforcements.

New signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis were not eligible to play in the league phase, but can join the team for the knockout games in the second and third weeks of February.

A handful of players may also return from injury.

“In two weeks we will be better,” Guardiola said. “Players will come back, we have new signings.”

He is also realistic in a season that has seen them slip to an uncharacteristic fourth in the English Premier League.

“I don’t know if they are happy to play against us, it is what it is. One is the king of the competition, the other is the second or third king,” Guardiola said of Real Madrid, who have 15 Champions League titles and Bayern Munich, who have six.

“We play this competition with a thousand million problems. They are favourites, yes, they are better than us right now.”

Mateo Kovacic and substitute Savinho scored in the victory, plus an own goal from Brugge.

“The first half was so academic, we missed a spark. Savinho helped us. He changed the game, after five minutes created two or three corners,” Guardiola said.

“Sometimes you are winning 2-0 or 3-0, you are scared to lose. You are 1-0 down out of the Champions League and in the right moments we found the goals.”

The Spaniard kicked a drinks cooler in celebration after Savinho’s goal that all but put the game away, and said he was fine when asked – tongue in cheek – in the post-game press conference if his foot was okay.

Brugge, who were lightning quick on the counter-attack, punished City and stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd seconds before half-time when Ferran Jutgla easily beat Matheus Nunes, then sent in a long cross that Raphael Onyedika smashed into the back of the net.

Kovacic levelled in the 53rd minute when he dribbled through the heart of Brugge’s defence before unleashing a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box into the bottom corner.

City went ahead nine minutes later when Joel Ordonez slid to block Josko Gvardiol’s cross but knocked it into the net. Savinho added a third in the 77th minute when John Stones played a pinpoint cross-field ball that the Brazilian chested down before firing past keeper Simon Mignolet.

“We’re happy that we are through now, because it was a tough group stage. For us, was not easy,” Kovacic told TNT. “That we are through is the most important, and then whoever comes next will be difficult.”

Brugge qualified for the play-offs in the final spot, finishing ahead of 25th-placed Dinamo Zagreb only on goal difference. Dinamo had upset AC Milan 2-1 on the same night.

Said Mignolet: “We never expected that we would need 11 points to get ourselves qualified.

“But throughout the campaign, with the way we played and how we presented ourselves, it’s a well-deserved qualification.” REUTERS