Will Champions League Be Guardiola's Man City Regret?

ByJess Anderson

BBC Sport journalist

Pep Guardiola is 1 of nan top managers of each time.

The Spaniard has won 12 home convention titles during his tenures astatine Barcelona, Bayern Munich and past Manchester City, on pinch an abundance of home trophies and individual accolades.

In nan Champions League, his 3 titles - 2 pinch Barca and 1 pinch City - put him among nan greats pinch only five-time victor Carlo Ancelotti having won more.

But a 5-1 aggregate conclusion by Real Madrid successful nan past 16 represents different missed opportunity and leaves galore wondering what mightiness person been.

In nan 15 years since lifting nan Champions League trophy pinch Barcelona successful 2011, his 2nd pinch nan Catalan nine having besides won it successful 2009, Guardiola has only had his hands connected nan trophy erstwhile - a maiden title for City erstwhile they did nan Treble successful 2023.

Guardiola himself would possibly beryllium disappointed pinch that yield, having travel truthful adjacent to adding to that tally connected respective occasions pinch City.

"We person an bonzer squad and bonzer group of players, nan early is bright," said a defiant City leader aft Tuesday's exit.

But, fixed nan uncertainty astir his early successful Manchester beyond this season, questions will beryllium asked astir whether this was nan 55-year-old's past chance to triumph nan coveted trophy.

It is clear Guardiola sees nan Champions League arsenic nan pinnacle title - seldom is he much animated than connected a large European night.

That image of Guardiola, caput successful hands connected nan touchline aliases wearing a concerned look and throwing arms successful nan aerial successful frustration, is not an uncommon sight.

Fans will retrieve Guardiola brought to his knees successful nan quarter-final against Tottenham successful 2019 erstwhile Raheem Sterling's last-minute victor was ruled retired for offside. They will callback him waving his arms successful vexation astatine nan aforesaid shape against Lyon a twelvemonth later.

Defeat successful nan last by Chelsea successful 2021 besides stung but erstwhile City crushed retired a 1-0 triumph successful nan 2023 last against Inter Milan to triumph their first European title and complete a historical Treble, fans mightiness person expected that to unfastened nan floodgates for much European success.

Instead, they person only won a azygous Champions League knockout necktie since, that against Copenhagen, and person mislaid nine of their past 17 European games.

Four-time Champions League victor Clarence Seedorf told Amazon Prime: "There is nary chat astir Pep's value arsenic a coach. He makes a prime and it is [an attacking] accuracy - he wants to people 1 much than nan opponent.

"But it comes astatine a precocious value erstwhile you play against nan champion players successful nan world astatine a definite constituent - [in] quarter-finals and semi-finals.

"I deliberation nan protect portion of his crippled could beryllium improved, but I don't deliberation he's going to change."

With Bayern, Guardiola did not triumph European silverware successful his three-year spell astatine nan club, though he helped them to Club World Cup and Super Cup glory.

In contrast, Guardiola's Barcelona broadside - which included nan likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets - were adjacent to unstoppable successful Europe pinch 2 titles won by a squad wide considered to beryllium 1 of nan top of each time.

Overall, Guardiola has only mislaid 1 last - successful 2021 against Chelsea pinch City - and while location is simply a cognition he possibly should person won much titles, he remains nan associated second-most successful head successful nan competition's history, alongside Zinedine Zidane and, successful its European Cup days, Bob Paisley.

Only Ancelotti has won much pinch respective managers having won two.

Since his debut play successful nan Champions League, Guardiola has managed much matches successful nan second stages from nan quarter-finals onwards than anyone else.

Having spent astir of his playing profession astatine his boyhood nine Barcelona earlier going connected to negociate nan Catalan club, Guardiola said City's first-leg necktie against Real astatine nan Bernabeu was his 50th clip facing his awesome rival arsenic a subordinate aliases manager.

He referred to it arsenic his "birthday" but it has yet turned into an unhappy juncture for Guardiola, who has now been knocked retired of nan Champions League by Real 5 times - erstwhile pinch Bayern and 4 times pinch City.

In fact, since City mislaid nan Champions League last to Chelsea successful 2021, nary different squad has eliminated them from nan competition.

The fixture has go a regular 1 successful nan European almanac pinch nan 2 sides gathering successful six of nan past 7 Champions League campaigns.

Guardiola has been successful nan City dugout for each of those and has watched his broadside advancement up of nan 15-time European champions twice, suffering heartbreak successful nan different four.

While location is nary shame successful losing to nan European giants, nan mode of conclusion has often been agonising for City.

There has been a melodramatic and stunning extra-time conclusion acknowledgment to Karim Benzema successful nan 2019-20 semis, and a gut-wrenching nonaccomplishment connected penalties aft a cagey lucifer astatine nan Etihad successful nan 2023-24 past eight. This time, aft a 3-0 first-leg defeat, immoderate hopes of a comeback were quashed by Bernardo Silva's early reddish car.

Guardiola has been beaten by Los Blancos successful nan Champions League much than immoderate different manager, with seven losses successful total.

Three Champions League titles is much than astir managers could dream of and, since Guardiola's first play arsenic a manager, he has made it to nan knockout stages of nan title much than anyone else.

But his early successful Manchester remains uncertain pinch his existent statement owed to expire astatine nan extremity of adjacent play and location are suggestions that he could telephone it a time astatine nan extremity of this, his 10th play successful charge.

Would Guardiola beryllium contented pinch his European grounds if it were not to beryllium improved?

There is nary uncertainty his broadside are successful modulation pinch 15 of nan 23 players progressive successful nan 2023 Champions League last nary longer astatine nan club.

A trophyless play past twelvemonth - Guardiola's first since his debut play successful Manchester - was put down to injuries and caller players settling in.

But a second-consecutive play without silverware would possibly raise siren bells.

City are still successful nan title title - they way Arsenal by 9 points but do person a crippled successful manus and location fixture to travel against nan Gunners. They will besides look their title rivals successful Sunday's Carabao Cup last and are done to nan FA Cup past eight.

But Guardiola has often seemed to covet nan Champions League supra each other and location will apt beryllium vexation that nan title has brought him much anguish than joyousness successful nan past 10 years.