Pep Guardiola had trouble sleeping thanks to Paris Saint-Germain stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, the Man City boss claimed in his prematch press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg.
Ninety minutes didn’t change that for the Catalan genius, even after Man City won 2-1 in Paris against a PSG side that finished with 10 men.
“One more goal always can happen with the quality they have,” Guardiola said when asked how he felt about City’s lead. “We’ll take a good result. We need 90 minutes.”
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PSG was very good in the first half and took a 1-0 lead through Marquinhos, but City put the game on its ear in the second half with a combination of visiting vigor and PSG caution.
“It was a consequence of the way we played,” Guardiola said. “We were more aggressive without the ball. We were less aggressive in the first half.”
All that said, Guardiola isn’t daydreaming about the second leg.
In fact, the City boss claimed the focus is on sealing the Premier League, and not simply in a “one game at a time” context.
“Unfortunately we don’t have much time to breathe, Guardiola said. “We need one game to win the title. This is the most important one. The Champions League is the most prestigious, the nicest one, but the Premier League is the most important.”
A win at 7:30am ET Saturday versus Crystal Palace would give City 80 points, not enough to seal the PL title unless Manchester United loses at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
"Scoring two goals away from home is so important."
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 28, 2021
"We changed the way we pressed. We were more aggressive."
Pep Guardiola praises Man City's response after a difficult first half against PSG...
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