Pep Guardiola praised his Manchester City team as legends after they were named Premier League winners yesterday, following an incredible comeback in the season’s final game.
City trailed Aston Villa by two goals with 14 minutes remaining in the season before scoring three times in five minutes to ignite chaotic scenes at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool were one goal away from capturing the title in the closing stages when their Quadruple aspirations came to an end, ending one point behind City.
Ilkay Gundogan was the hero, scoring a brace either side of Rodri’s equalizer after coming off the bench. Around the Etihad, images of anguish turned to joy, much as when Sergio Aguero carved his name into club mythology ten years ago.
Guardiola, who was in tears during the game, became only the third manager in history to win four Premier League championships in five seasons, after Bob Paisley and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Guardiola declared, “We are legends.” ‘We are going to be remembered. These are legends in the making. People must accept it. In this club, these players are immortal.’ We realize that four years in a row is perhaps the finest accomplishment of our careers. It’s because these men are so, so amazing that they’ve won four times in five years in this country. Wow, winning in front of our own people. It’s fantastic.
‘In my life, I have never seen a team like Liverpool.’ Season after season, they have assisted us in becoming a better squad. We devote today to the 22 persons who were killed since it is the fifth anniversary of the Manchester bombing.’
Guardiola acknowledged that his team was nervous over the week as the final day neared. City, on the other hand, found real impetus after regaining a goal, and their manager lauded the club’s fans for creating a frenetic environment that began two hours before kick-off outside the stadium.
He went on to say, ‘It was the greatest since I’ve been here.’ ‘Today was really great; maybe, we can celebrate tomorrow on the parade with cigars and drink.’ Don’t worry, I’ll bring my smokes.
‘We speak a lot about big data and figures. What happened to it today? It differs significantly from the previous games. It’s similar to the most challenging serve in Wimbledon. We were quite fortunate. I’m not claiming the Premier League is superior to the Champions League, but it is more trustworthy. There are 38 games, both at home and abroad, with several issues.
‘The way it was done makes this the most fascinating title. The strain was palpable. The guys worked really hard in training, but we could sense the strain. We expected Liverpool to beat Wolves, and Villa has a lot of weapons.’
‘I want to congratulate Liverpool on this amazing struggle,’ Guardiola added. Our accomplishment is proportional to the size of our competitor. This just adds to my admiration for these athletes.
‘A few days ago, Jurgen Klopp stated regarding the winners, ‘There are few winners but a lot of triers.’ This is a fantastic idea. I’m a tester. Is it possible to call Liverpool losers? We were barely an inch ahead of them. They are champions.’