Pep Guardiola before his side’s champions league clash with Bayern Munich.
Pep Guardiola has defended his sides failure to win the Champions League, pointing out that even sporting greats like Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan lost more often than they won.
City will play Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday with the first leg at the Etihad Stadium after reaching the last eight for the sixth successive season, but they are yet to lift the trophy.
The closest City came was under Guardiola two years ago, when they made their only appearance, to date, in the final but lost 1-0 to Chelsea in Portugal.
Guardiola won the Champions League twice during his time at Barcelona and concedes the expectation since he arrived in England has been that he will guide City to European glory, saying: “We want to try.
“It’s an honour to be here, against an elite club like Bayern Munich. We are happy to be here.
“You have to deserve it. Six, seven years ago when I arrived here, ‘you are here to win the Champions League’. It comes every season.
“We tried every season but there are teams you face who are good too, and they want to win it too.
Guardiola added “We want to try but that doesn’t mean we’re going to win. Jack Nicklaus, how many majors did he play in his career? 120? How many did he win? Eighteen wow. He lost more than he won.
“Michael Jordan, the best athlete, won six NBA titles. How many years did he play? Sixteen? He lost more than he won.
“These games are so difficult. The important thing is to be here, compete well and do our best.
“If I lose, I lose. I’m not perfect.”
Writing by Tersoo Nicholas