Pep Guardiola has questioned how much Manchester City fans want to see their team reach the semi-finals of the Champions League and has called on them to generate an atmosphere that will help his side eliminate Tottenham Hotspur.
Guardiola’s side trail 1-0 going into Wednesday night’s quarter-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Yet while this is the next challenge in City’s pursuit of a historic quadruple, the manager is “very curious” regarding how much supporters care about reaching the last four of the tournament.
Guardiola said: “I want to see that they want to get to the semi-finals, not just the players, the fans too. I want to see that. If tomorrow night they don’t help us [then] – do it for the guys, they are so proud. We need them in our bad moments, at this stage we cannot go through. I’m really curious how our fans will be.”
Guardiola pointed to the level of support for the 2-1 win over Liverpool in the league on 3 January as acceptable. “The Liverpool game would be enough for me, a little bit better,” the Catalan said.
Guardiola said sarcastically he is a failure for never having won the competition when at Bayern Munich for three years. “I know people say I came here to win the Champions League,” he said. “I didn’t come here to win the Champions League, honestly. I came here to play with my team the way we are playing the last 20 months, that is what I came here [for], to play the way I want to play.
“And of course I want the Champions League – I know in Bayern Munich, a big club, after three seasons winning absolutely everything, the Champions League was a big failure.
“What can I say? I accept that. I have to live with that but it’s not a big problem, it pushes me better. I understand the others are better too, in this competition. They are better too. A lot of big, big clubs are not in the later stages either.”
Fernandinho’s availability is in the balance because of a lack of match fitness.
