The Sunday Times - UK (2022-04-10)

April 10, 2022 thesundaytimes.co.uk/sport

First amateur winner for 32

years Sam Waley-Cohen takes

Grand National on a 50-1 shot

in his final ever race

Pages 14-15

Waley-Cohen

roars his delight

after holding off

the challenge of

the favourite,

Any Second

Now, in the final

straight on

Noble Yeats

MARC ASPLAND

farewell

Glorious

Manchester City will not be regarded
as one of the great football sides
unless they win the Champions
League, Pep Guardiola has admitted.
Speaking before today’s Premier
League showdown with Liverpool
that is likely to decide the title race
and could come to define his epochal
rivalry with Jürgen Klopp, Guardiola
suggested that City are not as
acclaimed as they should be —
because of failures in Europe.
Although another title would bring
City’s haul to four domestic crowns in
five years, and they have set records
for points and goals totals during
Guardiola’s tenure, there remains a
sense at his club that they are still not
as fêted as Liverpool. The Merseyside
club have won one league title but also
the Champions League and Fifa Club
World Cup under Klopp.
“We’ve had incredible words and
compliments. We have an incredible
history,” Guardiola, the City manager,

team are special. “Whether it is

enough [for others], I could not care

less,” Guardiola said.

“The things we’ve done and the

way we’ve done it, dominating many

times [is sufficient] and, I’m sure you

will agree, the period of five seasons is

a long time. These seasons we were

always there and that is good.”

Guardiola is without the talismanic

centre back Rúben Dias for today’s

clash but Klopp has a fully fit squad.

Since 2018-19 the top two have set a

remarkably lofty standard for per-

formance, City taking 338 points from

144 games and Liverpool 337.

Only one point separates them in

the 2021-22 championship, with eight

games to go — but Liverpool were 14

points behind, albeit with two games

in hand, on January 15.

Even at that point, Klopp said, his

side did not lose faith that they could

close the gap. “The truth is that what

we did was normal. If we hadn’t tried I

would be disappointed,” the Liver-

pool manager said. “Whatever situa-

tion you are in come early January, it’s

a situation, so work from there and

don’t suffer because of it.

“If the gap is too big, the gap is too

big. To close it to one point — that was

not about us, we just won the games

but City didn’t win all theirs. What I

expected from us is that we [would]

go for it. I don’t expect us to win all the

games but to try constantly — and

that’s what we did.”

The old wisdom of taking things

game by game has been serving Liver-

pool well, Klopp suggested, and there

will not be a change of approach.

“Think about it: we had to win against

City, United, Everton, Tottenham etc.

[You think] that’s not possible, but if

you play them on one day it’s possible

and that’s what we learnt,” Klopp

said. “Yes, we knew it was 14 points

but we didn’t care. We just had to win

as many points as possible — and that

situation doesn’t change.”

Guardiola: We must conquer Europe to be considered great

Jonathan Northcroft
Football Correspondent

said. “What we feel together inside is

that we will remember this period

with big satisfaction.

“But sometimes, to be happy, we

get the proof from outside and that is

stupid. What we want is proof from

the outside that what we’ve done is

right and I agree with most of the peo-

ple who said that we’ve not achieved

in Europe, we’ve not won the Champi-

ons League and maybe they are right.

“To get the recognition of everyone

in the world we need to conquer

Europe. Is it going to happen? I don’t

know, but so far what we’ve done here

makes me incredibly happy and first

of all we had fun.”

On Wednesday, City are away to

Atletico Madrid in a Champions

League quarter-final tie in which they

lead 1-0 after the first leg. While

Guardiola is desperate to win in

Europe, he says he does not need to

do so for validation.

For him, that City have been either

champions, runners-up or highly

competitive in every other trophy

since 2017-18 is confirmation that his

THE NEW CLASICO

JONATHAN

NORTHCROFT

Guardiola and

Klopp the

great rivals

still learning

from each

other

GRAEME

SOUNESS

Players will

know that just

one mistake

can cost their

team the

league

Big match special, pages 8-11

ON TV

Manchester City v Liverpool

Sky Sports PL, kick-off 4.30pm