Pep insists it will take time for City to become European force

Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City need time to join the established elite of European football despite orchestrating their thrilling 3-1 victory against Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Part of the reason City hired the Spaniard was his strong European record, which has seen him lift the Champions League trophy twice with Barcelona and reach three semi-finals with Bayern Munich.

Neither Roberto Mancini or Manuel Pellegrini, City’s previous two managers, made a serious splash in Europe against a major team, but the signs are already good for the club this year following their win at the Etihad Stadium.

And Guardiola insists the win is a major step forward as he looks to take the club to the next level.

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

“This club was 25, 30 years out of Europe, while Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich were playing every year,” Guardiola said.

“We need time. The people don’t give us time but the club give us time. We compete against them one time, we play long balls because we are not ready to keep the ball.

“We are three or four months into playing a different way. We try and now we won against the best team.

“For the future generations they are going to realise: wow, these guys are able to beat the best team.”