Pep Guardiola starts another European campaign all too aware of the standards he is judged by. He won the Champions League in two of his first three seasons in management. There has not been a sequel in the subsequent decade but he did pilot Manchester City to their maiden final in May.
“People can say Manchester City was a failure,” said Guardiola. “That is their opinion. It was an incredible achievement what we did last season. We made a step forward. We played well in so many games but then lost the final.”
His hope is that disappointment can be the tonic to help City end their wait. Guardiola takes heart from City’s response to 2020’s quarter-final defeat to Lyon, perhaps their most disappointing result in a European knockout tie under him. Guardiola recounted City’s response: “We played 13 games, we won 11, drew one when we played incredibly well and lost the final.”
And as midfielder Rodri recalled, that was painful. “You have three bad days the next days,” he said. “You cannot even talk to your families and friends. They are there to support you but your face is not as you want.”
Guardiola reflected on the anguish defeat to Chelsea brought. “The players have feelings and soul and you know it hurts when you cannot achieve,” he said, but it provides a renewed motivation. “We have the feeling that we can do better, we reached the final of the Champions League, so it’s a motor. They want it but there are many other teams who want it too.”
Chelsea defeat City in Champions League final
The reality that there are a host of contenders and only one winner can make judgments harsh. “Every season people ask who is the favourites and I cannot answer because it is unpredictable,” Guardiola said. “There are many strong teams.”
City eliminated some of them last year, winning home and away against Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid. They only conceded five times in those 13 matches. Part of the message from Guardiola, though, was that they start from scratch again as they host RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
“Sport is always a new challenge,” he said. “What happened in the past, happened in the past. It is not guaranteed if you make a bad Champions League the previous season that you will make a bad Champions League. It doesn’t mean because we did well last year that we are going to do well. We have to fight for and deserve to be in the next stages.”
That may be more difficult this year: City have cruised through recent group stages but a pool with the 2020 semi-finalist Leipzig and runners-up Paris Saint-Germain may be different. “Now we have a tough group and we are going to show the same level,” added Rodri.
If the Champions League is not the only marker of success, Rodri underlined that reaching the last two was a feat in itself. “I would sign right now to get into another final,” he said. “I think all the players in the squad have a little bit more ambition every year. It is a dream for a lot of us.”
But he has a particular reason to hope City return to the showpiece. The Spaniard made the most appearances for City last season but was benched for the Champions League final, with Ilkay Gundogan selected to anchor the midfield instead. “I never regret about that, it is the coach’s decision,” Rodri rationalised. “He thought it would be better to put another player in. I am going to work hard to show in these key moments I can be the player I need to be.”
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Fight card
1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)
4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)
5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)
6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)
9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)
10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)
11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
