Manager Josep Guardiola says Manchester City are “far from” winning the Champions League despite beating Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
With a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Real Madrid, City strengthened their bid for a top-eight spot in the Champions League, with their second win at the Bernabéu moving them up to fourth in the league table, and they will face Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray in the new year.
As a result, Guardiola’s team are the third favorites for outright betting on Sky Bet, behind Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
But Guardiola dampened the enthusiasm behind the chance, telling TNT Sports: “We are far away. We are still not ready. We will be better in February. We have been here in the past, we have played more than today, but we have lost. Sometimes that is football.”
“The players worked incredibly hard. It was an unbelievably good result. Their mental strength is unbelievable, but there is still room for improvement.”
He added: “It could be even better. Of course, it’s very difficult to win at the Bernabeu. Four, five, six players played their first game here, so they may not be completely ready to play at this stage like we are, but it’s a process and we have a lot of new players as well.”
“We have to be happy to win here, especially in terms of points. We already have 13 points, so finishing in the top eight is in our hands. That’s the goal. After what happened in Leverkusen, it was good to win here.”
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Kris Boyd has given his verdict on Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League.
“Rodrigo, a great player. The pace of Vinicius, Bellingham and their front line is very dangerous and that’s why you can’t stay high. You have to be very committed in defending. We were a little lacking, but overall it was an exceptional effort.”
Haaland: Very happy with this important victory
Man City’s Erling Haaland told TNT Sports:
“It’s difficult to come here and there are a lot of transitions in the game. We could have had another goal. In the second half, I came close and Jeremy (Doc) came close a few times, but the game was a bit of a mess. We don’t really have control and it’s difficult to come here, so I’m very happy in the end.”
“This win is really important because we lost against Leverkusen and if we hadn’t won, today could have been completely different.
“We have two games left, so now we need to finish on a strong note. If we can finish in the top eight, that’s it.”
Bellingham: The players are 100 percent inferior to Alonso
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso is reportedly under intense pressure to continue playing after winning two of eight games in all competitions since the start of November.
Asked if the players supported Alonso, Jude Bellingham told TNT Sports: “100 percent.
“The manager has been great. I have a great relationship with him personally and I know a lot of the players have too. We had some great conversations internally after the draw and felt like we were going to throw that away by the last couple of games. No one is dropping tools, no one is complaining or moaning. We’re going to take it on the chin and keep fighting.”
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham fully supports manager Xabi Alonso
“Regardless of what’s going on outside, we’re still trying to figure things out inside the locker room. We know that doesn’t help. One thing is how we manage the game. At certain points where we have to suffer, it feels like we’re always conceding goals and that puts us behind and we have to play that we don’t want to.”
“But we have what we need in the locker room to turn things around. Maybe we need a little bit of luck, or maybe we need to have some internal discussions. I believe that this season is not over just because we are not feeling well.”
