'My legacy is exceptional' - Pep Guardiola ridicules claim he must win Champions League at Man City & promises he won't mess about with his tactics against Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola said the main legacy of his time at Manchester City will be the outstanding football his side played - not how many trophies they won.

Guardiola defends legacy before UCL decider
Said team has given City fans great memories
Guardiola hasn't won Europe's biggest prize since 2011

WHAT HAPPENED? The Man City coach believes the main thing his side will be remembered for is the spellbinding football they played, not whether or not they won the Champions League. City are on the brink of clinching a fifth Premier League title in seven years under Guardiola and have an FA Cup final to contest against Manchester United. Their Champions League semi-final tie with Real Madrid is also finely balanced after last week's 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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WHAT THEY SAID: "My legacy is already exceptional already," Guardiola told a press conference before the second leg. "The legacy is that we have had one hell of a time here for many years. And the legacy is that the fans will remember that we scored many goals, that we conceded very few, and that we won a lot of trophies. In these last few years I've had a blast. It's like a good book. And perhaps in Europe people have not noticed, but here we've had a great time. That's the legacy."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Despite leading City to dominate English football in the last few years, in the eyes of many, Guardiola's job in England will not be done until he can guide City to Champions League glory. His side were beaten in the 2021 final by Chelsea and went out in agonising circumstances to Real Madrid last season. They were also knocked out by Monaco, Lyon and Tottenham in previous years. Guardiola has got the big decisions wrong on a few occasions, such as fielding no holding midfielders against Chelsea and playing the inexperienced Eric Garcia in a back three against Lyon.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Guardiola joked about his reputation for unexpected tactical innovations in crunch Champions League games. "Hopefully you can see tomorrow, but it will be nothing special, I’m not overthinking tomorrow, don’t worry guys," he added. "Nothing different to what we’ve done, just more fluid and play a bit better."

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