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'The best clubs are always starving' - Pep Guardiola says Man City must win Champions League to be considered a great team

Pep Guardiola believes the current Manchester City team need to win the Champions League to be considered among the greats in Europe.

City have to win Champions League to be great
Won their fifth league title in seven years
Will face Inter in Champions League final

WHAT HAPPENED? Manchester City have been in red-hot form and could end up winning the 'treble' this season, which would make them only the second English club after Manchester United to achieve the feat. They have already won the Premier League for a third season in a row and have reached the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League.

But despite all the success, Pep Guardiola maintained that to be considered among the European elite, they need to win the Champions League this season.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to The Times, Guardiola said, "The team is really good but I’m in agreement with the media and people saying we have to win in Europe to be considered as the same type to those [great] teams. Those teams, they’ve won not just once but many times in Europe. The joy [of reaching the Champions League final] is so nice, it’s amazing being here again and again.

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"Nothing is going to change that but if we are [to be] considered one of the best teams, we have to win the Champions League. Otherwise, my opinion [of how good City are] is not going to change. But to be in the books, the real books, you have to do that. We had four Premier Leagues and [felt] we must fight for another. Why should it stop? Why should we stop after losing the Champions League semi-final [last season] and not try again and again? The best clubs are always starving. They want more and more."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Under Guardiola's tutelage, Manchester City have achieved success on a massive scale. In the past seven years, they've won five Premier League titles, four Carabao Cups and one FA Cup trophy. The only trophy that has eluded the Cityzens is the Champions League. They came close to winning the title during the 2020/21 season but lost to Chelsea in the final.