Pep Guardiola does not believe his first season as Manchester City manager should be classed as a failure if he cannot guide the team to Premier League glory.

Guardiola won the league in his first seasons at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but his City side lies 10 points below leaders Chelsea and in fifth place after Saturday&#39;s 1-0 loss at Liverpool.

He does not see winning the league as the be-all and end-all of City&#39;s season, however, and says he is relishing the new challenge of being the hunter rather than the hunted.

&quot;We have put a lot of stress about, &#39;Oh, if you don&#39;t win the Premier League, that is going to be not a good season&#39;,&quot; he told reporters after the New Year&#39;s Eve defeat at Anfield.

&quot;No, in that situation we&#39;re going to analyse what happened at the end of the season, what was good, what was bad. Now it&#39;s just focus on the next game against Burnley.

&quot;I was always on top, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But OK, this is a new chapter in my career as a manager to handle that and I am willing to try it with these guys.&quot;

Chelsea has surged clear at the summit on the back of a 13-game winning streak, but Guardiola does not believe their points advantage is insurmountable.

&quot;I was one time nine points (behind) with Barcelona, against Real Madrid I think,&quot; said the Catalan, whose side host Burnley on Monday.

&quot;It was in February or in March and after we recover until (the gap was only) four (when Madrid won the league in 2012).

&quot;But the question is, are we able to take the gap to Chelsea? Now what we have to do is believe in the next game.&quot;

Jesus jets in

In contrast to his early experiences with Barcelona and Bayern, Guardiola is yet to have a transformative effect on City&#39;s fortunes.

City&#39;s style of play has evolved, reflecting the importance Guardiola places on dominating possession, but they have lost four times already in the league and have struggled defensively.

Jurgen Klopp, Guardiola&#39;s former Borussia Dortmund adversary, has had over a year to remould Liverpool and the City manager said it would take him time to achieve similar results.

&quot;I don&#39;t know, I&#39;m not able to say that,&quot; Guardiola replied when asked how long it will take for City to become his team.

&quot;Jurgen is here more than one season, one year. It&#39;s just five months for me. The way we want to play in this league is not that simple.

&quot;We need a little bit more time. But I&#39;m a guy who&#39;s so optimistic and we are going to try.&quot;

City&#39;s attempt to chase down Chelsea will be bolstered by the arrival of Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus following his &pound;27 million ($33 million, 32 million euros) transfer from Palmeiras.

The 19-year-old was due to arrive in Manchester this weekend and Guardiola expects him to make a swift impact.

&quot;He was three years without holidays, he&#39;s fit, he&#39;s young,&quot; said Guardiola.

&quot;It was just two or three weeks not training so I don&#39;t think we&#39;ll be (waiting) too much time (for him) to be fit.&quot;

(AFP)

He says he does not see winning the league as the be-all and end-all of City's season

Pep Guardiola does not believe his first season as Manchester City manager should be classed as a failure if he cannot guide the team to Premier League glory. Guardiola won the league in his first seasons at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but his City side lies 10 points below leaders Chelsea and in fifth place after Saturday's 1-0 loss at Liverpool. He does not see winning the league as the be-all and end-all of City's season, however, and says he is relishing the new challenge of being the hunter rather than the hunted. "We have put a lot of stress about, 'Oh, if you don't win the Premier League, that is going to be not a good season'," he told reporters after the New Year's Eve defeat at Anfield. "No, in that situation we're going to analyse what happened at the end of the season, what was good, what was bad. Now it's just focus on the next game against Burnley. "I was always on top, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But OK, this is a new chapter in my career as a manager to handle that and I am willing to try it with these guys." Chelsea has surged clear at the summit on the back of a 13-game winning streak, but Guardiola does not believe their points advantage is insurmountable. "I was one time nine points (behind) with Barcelona, against Real Madrid I think," said the Catalan, whose side host Burnley on Monday. "It was in February or in March and after we recover until (the gap was only) four (when Madrid won the league in 2012). "But the question is, are we able to take the gap to Chelsea? Now what we have to do is believe in the next game." Jesus jets in In contrast to his early experiences with Barcelona and Bayern, Guardiola is yet to have a transformative effect on City's fortunes. City's style of play has evolved, reflecting the importance Guardiola places on dominating possession, but they have lost four times already in the league and have struggled defensively. Jurgen Klopp, Guardiola's former Borussia Dortmund adversary, has had over a year to remould Liverpool and the City manager said it would take him time to achieve similar results. "I don't know, I'm not able to say that," Guardiola replied when asked how long it will take for City to become his team. "Jurgen is here more than one season, one year. It's just five months for me. The way we want to play in this league is not that simple. "We need a little bit more time. But I'm a guy who's so optimistic and we are going to try." City's attempt to chase down Chelsea will be bolstered by the arrival of Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus following his £27 million ($33 million, 32 million euros) transfer from Palmeiras. The 19-year-old was due to arrive in Manchester this weekend and Guardiola expects him to make a swift impact. "He was three years without holidays, he's fit, he's young," said Guardiola. "It was just two or three weeks not training so I don't think we'll be (waiting) too much time (for him) to be fit." (AFP)

Pep: Not a failure if we don't win the league

&nbsp;Pep Guardiola apologised for Manchester City&#39;s part in the ugly mass brawl that disfigured the end of their 3-1 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday as he contemplated his most problematic day in the Premier League.

While Guardiola talked of his regret about the melee that saw City pair Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho sent off in stoppage time, rival manager Antonio Conte praised his team&#39;s character.

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Chelsea came from 1-0 down to record an eighth straight win and move four points clear at the top but City&#39;s failure to capitalise when they were dominating the game led to their players losing their heads at the Etihad Stadium.

Aguero was sent off for a wild knee-high tackle on David Luiz, prompting widespread anger on the touchline.

With players and staff from both teams wading in to scuffle and referee Anthony Taylor in danger of losing control, Fernandinho also saw red for pushing Cesc Fabregas over an advertising hoarding.

&quot;It is a pity the game finished like this,&quot; Guardiola told the BBC. &quot;I don&#39;t like that and I apologise for what happened.

&quot;I don&#39;t think Aguero&#39;s challenge is intentional. Both players were strong, that is all. Then Fernandinho went over to defend his team mate.&quot;

Fernandinho is now suspended for three matches and Aguero faces a possible four-match ban.

&quot;We didn&#39;t win because we missed a lot of chances, not because of the referee&#39;s decisions,&quot; Spaniard Guardiola said, frustrated at how his side had missed excellent opportunities to seal the win when they led 1-0 through a Gary Cahill own goal.

&quot;In the boxes we are not strong enough. It is a problem we have had all season. It is difficult for us to score goals and we concede them very easily.&quot;

Italian Conte was thrilled with Chelsea&#39;s discipline and character amid the chaos, with even the hot-headed Diego Costa, who equalised with his 11th league goal of the season, trying to act as an unlikely peacemaker during the scuffle.

&quot;Diego is showing he is using his passion in the right way and I&#39;m very happy about that,&quot; Conte said.

&quot;I saw lots of character from my team and that&#39;s very important to grow. But we must continue to work and improve.&quot;

(Reuters)

While Guardiola talked of his regret, rival manager Antonio Conte praised his team's character

Pep Guardiola apologised for Manchester City's part in the ugly mass brawl that disfigured the end of their 3-1 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday as he contemplated his most problematic day in the Premier League. While Guardiola talked of his regret about the melee that saw City pair Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho sent off in stoppage time, rival manager Antonio Conte praised his team's character. Chelsea came from 1-0 down to record an eighth straight win and move four points clear at the top × Chelsea came from 1-0 down to record an eighth straight win and move four points clear at the top but City's failure to capitalise when they were dominating the game led to their players losing their heads at the Etihad Stadium. Aguero was sent off for a wild knee-high tackle on David Luiz, prompting widespread anger on the touchline. With players and staff from both teams wading in to scuffle and referee Anthony Taylor in danger of losing control, Fernandinho also saw red for pushing Cesc Fabregas over an advertising hoarding. "It is a pity the game finished like this," Guardiola told the BBC. "I don't like that and I apologise for what happened. "I don't think Aguero's challenge is intentional. Both players were strong, that is all. Then Fernandinho went over to defend his team mate." Fernandinho is now suspended for three matches and Aguero faces a possible four-match ban. "We didn't win because we missed a lot of chances, not because of the referee's decisions," Spaniard Guardiola said, frustrated at how his side had missed excellent opportunities to seal the win when they led 1-0 through a Gary Cahill own goal. "In the boxes we are not strong enough. It is a problem we have had all season. It is difficult for us to score goals and we concede them very easily." Italian Conte was thrilled with Chelsea's discipline and character amid the chaos, with even the hot-headed Diego Costa, who equalised with his 11th league goal of the season, trying to act as an unlikely peacemaker during the scuffle. "Diego is showing he is using his passion in the right way and I'm very happy about that," Conte said. "I saw lots of character from my team and that's very important to grow. But we must continue to work and improve." (Reuters)

Guardiola apologises for Man City's part in brawl

Manchester City must play &quot;perfectly&quot; to beat Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, according to manager&nbsp;Pep&nbsp;Guardiola whose side suffered a 4-0 thrashing in the Nou Camp this month.

City won for the first time in seven games in all competitions on Saturday, crushing West Bromwich Albion 4-0 in the Premier League, but Guardiola knows his former club represent a far greater challenge.

&quot;I have never thought that we can&#39;t win a football match and I never will. Even when we lost 4-0,&quot; Guardiola told a news conference on Monday.

&quot;It&#39;s difficult and we know we need to play almost perfectly to win - and if not, we will congratulate them and move on.

&quot;Winning the last game helped a lot but the Champions League is much different. Tomorrow we have another chance against the best.&quot;

While Barcelona can secure progress to the knockout phase at the Etihad on Tuesday, City are in a battle with Borussia Moenchengladbach for second spot in Group C.

Another loss to the Catalans would leave their progress in real jeopardy.

&quot;For them it&#39;s not a final, for us it is like a final,&quot; said Guardiola, who is yet to taste defeat at home since taking over at Man City, said.

&quot;There is just three games left. We dropped points in Glasgow (Celtic) and we have to recover those points.&quot;

City&#39;s cause is not helped by injuries with the right back area particularly worrying.

Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta are both unavailable, meaning Guardiola has to choose between Fernando, who played there for the first time against West Brom, and 19-year-old Pablo Maffeo.

&quot;We have to think we&#39;ve not got right backs,&quot; Guardiola said. &quot;We have one who recently played there and one who is 19.&quot;

Striker Sergio Aguero will start, however, after being surprisingly left out of the away clash.

The Argentine scored twice against West Brom and looked close to being back to his best.

&quot;When he is happy of course all the team is happy,&quot; Guardiola said.

A loss to the blaugrana team tonight would jeopardise City's chances of progressing to the next round of the Champions League

Manchester City must play "perfectly" to beat Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, according to manager Pep Guardiola whose side suffered a 4-0 thrashing in the Nou Camp this month. City won for the first time in seven games in all competitions on Saturday, crushing West Bromwich Albion 4-0 in the Premier League, but Guardiola knows his former club represent a far greater challenge. "I have never thought that we can't win a football match and I never will. Even when we lost 4-0," Guardiola told a news conference on Monday. "It's difficult and we know we need to play almost perfectly to win - and if not, we will congratulate them and move on. "Winning the last game helped a lot but the Champions League is much different. Tomorrow we have another chance against the best." While Barcelona can secure progress to the knockout phase at the Etihad on Tuesday, City are in a battle with Borussia Moenchengladbach for second spot in Group C. Another loss to the Catalans would leave their progress in real jeopardy. "For them it's not a final, for us it is like a final," said Guardiola, who is yet to taste defeat at home since taking over at Man City, said. "There is just three games left. We dropped points in Glasgow (Celtic) and we have to recover those points." City's cause is not helped by injuries with the right back area particularly worrying. Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta are both unavailable, meaning Guardiola has to choose between Fernando, who played there for the first time against West Brom, and 19-year-old Pablo Maffeo. "We have to think we've not got right backs," Guardiola said. "We have one who recently played there and one who is 19." Striker Sergio Aguero will start, however, after being surprisingly left out of the away clash. The Argentine scored twice against West Brom and looked close to being back to his best. "When he is happy of course all the team is happy," Guardiola said.

Manchester City needs to play 'perfect' football to beat Barcelona: Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he is still learning to adapt to the demands of English football as he seeks to end his club&#39;s five-game winless run against rivals Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday.

City made a blistering start to the campaign, winning their first 10 games in all competitions, but momentum has been stalled in recent weeks, and Sunday&#39;s 1-1 draw against Southampton marked the fifth consecutive game without a victory.

Guardiola&#39;s side are also trailing Barcelona by five points in their Champions League group after three games.

&quot;Our last few games have been tough,&quot; Guardiola told British media. &quot;If you are winning a game 3-0 in the last 15 or 20 minutes you can have more control and it gets a little easier.

&quot;But we were playing 10 against 11 against Barcelona, it&#39;s physical and tough in the Champions League.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;After that, there was the game against Southampton, when we made a mistake to go behind. Three days after Manchester United it is West Brom, then Barcelona and they are so important as well,&quot; he said.

&quot;I am still learning about football in this country.&quot;

Guardiola has told his players not to lose faith in his high-risk, high-reward style of football, but has said he needs time to assess his side.

&quot;Even when we were winning 10 games in a row I felt we had to make a lot of effort to win those games. You cannot win any game here without spending a lot of energy,&quot; he added.

&quot;I am still learning how the team reacts to winning and not winning, to playing at home after a Champions League game, and I am pretty sure I need time.&quot;

City, still top of the league on goal difference ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool, travel to face West Bromwich Albion in the league on Saturday.

(Reuters)

Sunday's 1-1 draw against Southampton marked Manchester City's fifth consecutive game without a victory

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he is still learning to adapt to the demands of English football as he seeks to end his club's five-game winless run against rivals Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday. City made a blistering start to the campaign, winning their first 10 games in all competitions, but momentum has been stalled in recent weeks, and Sunday's 1-1 draw against Southampton marked the fifth consecutive game without a victory. Guardiola's side are also trailing Barcelona by five points in their Champions League group after three games. "Our last few games have been tough," Guardiola told British media. "If you are winning a game 3-0 in the last 15 or 20 minutes you can have more control and it gets a little easier. "But we were playing 10 against 11 against Barcelona, it's physical and tough in the Champions League." "After that, there was the game against Southampton, when we made a mistake to go behind. Three days after Manchester United it is West Brom, then Barcelona and they are so important as well," he said. "I am still learning about football in this country." Guardiola has told his players not to lose faith in his high-risk, high-reward style of football, but has said he needs time to assess his side. "Even when we were winning 10 games in a row I felt we had to make a lot of effort to win those games. You cannot win any game here without spending a lot of energy," he added. "I am still learning how the team reacts to winning and not winning, to playing at home after a Champions League game, and I am pretty sure I need time." City, still top of the league on goal difference ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool, travel to face West Bromwich Albion in the league on Saturday. (Reuters)

Need time to acclimatise to English football: Pep Guardiola

Ivory Coast&#39;s Yaya Toure has announced his decision to retire from international football on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;Writing this note was probably &#39;the most difficult match of my life&#39;,&quot; read a statement by him. 
 
&quot;After 14 years at the highest level, I`m sure this is the right time for me! The fact that I am 33 now, the intensity of training and the multitude of games are not the reasons why I am making this decision,&quot; Toure wrote. 
 
&quot;Football is everything to me and it gave me so much in my career that I no longer feel able to set myself new goals as a player with the Elephants of Ivory Coast.&quot; 
 
Captain of his national team, Toure made his debut in 2004. He has since then made 113 appearances for Ivory Coast. He captained his country to an Africa Cup of Nations win in 2015. The versatile African also helped his country finish runner-up in 2006 and 2012 editions of Africa Cup of Nations.&nbsp; 
 
The current Manchester City midfielder has been facing a tough time to get into Pep Guardiola&#39;s starting XI. 
 
Speaking some time after Toure announced his retirement, Guardiola said he could play for City only after he apologised to the team for comments made by his agent. 
 
Toure&#39;s manager Dimitri Seluk had said Guardiola should &quot;apologise&quot; to Toure if his team failed to win the championship this season. 
 
(WION)

The Ivory Coast midfielder helped his country win the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015

Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure has announced his decision to retire from international football on Tuesday. "Writing this note was probably 'the most difficult match of my life'," read a statement by him. "After 14 years at the highest level, I`m sure this is the right time for me! The fact that I am 33 now, the intensity of training and the multitude of games are not the reasons why I am making this decision," Toure wrote. "Football is everything to me and it gave me so much in my career that I no longer feel able to set myself new goals as a player with the Elephants of Ivory Coast." Captain of his national team, Toure made his debut in 2004. He has since then made 113 appearances for Ivory Coast. He captained his country to an Africa Cup of Nations win in 2015. The versatile African also helped his country finish runner-up in 2006 and 2012 editions of Africa Cup of Nations. The current Manchester City midfielder has been facing a tough time to get into Pep Guardiola's starting XI. Speaking some time after Toure announced his retirement, Guardiola said he could play for City only after he apologised to the team for comments made by his agent. Toure's manager Dimitri Seluk had said Guardiola should "apologise" to Toure if his team failed to win the championship this season. (WION)

Yaya Toure announces retirement from international football

Pep Guardiola&#39;s Manchester City career got off to a winning start as they beat Sunderland 2-1 on Saturday but the Spaniard knows there is much work to do to build a title-winning team. 
 
Paddy McNair&#39;s late own goal gave the hosts victory on the opening day of the Premier League season after Jermain Defoe&#39;s Sunderland strike had cancelled out Sergio Aguero&#39;s early penalty. 
 
City dominated possession but were short on the incisive attacking play that was a hallmark of Guardiola&#39;s Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams. 
 
&quot;Sometimes you are a little lucky,&quot; City&#39;s new manager told reporters. &quot;We should have been a bit more aggressive but these kind of things have to happen to know how to get better in the next game.&quot; 
 
The match was an intriguing glimpse into what the fans can expect from Guardiola. 
 
He showed his ruthlessness by dropping England goalkeeper Joe Hart to the bench and completely omitting Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure. 
 
&quot;They are professionals,&quot; Guardiola said, &quot;and are going to fight for their places.&quot; 
 
He acknowledged it would take time for City to adapt to his methods although there was evidence of a new approach. 
 
Captain David Silva started in a deeper midfield role from where he was expected to instigate attacking moves while the full backs came inside to congest the middle, in a similar way to Bayern under Guardiola. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m very pleased about the performance,&quot; said the manager. &quot;The second half we played really well. 
 
&quot;Maybe we should attack quicker. We have to learn.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

City dominated possession but were short on the incisive attacking play that was a hallmark of Guardiola's Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City career got off to a winning start as they beat Sunderland 2-1 on Saturday but the Spaniard knows there is much work to do to build a title-winning team. Paddy McNair's late own goal gave the hosts victory on the opening day of the Premier League season after Jermain Defoe's Sunderland strike had cancelled out Sergio Aguero's early penalty. City dominated possession but were short on the incisive attacking play that was a hallmark of Guardiola's Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams. "Sometimes you are a little lucky," City's new manager told reporters. "We should have been a bit more aggressive but these kind of things have to happen to know how to get better in the next game." The match was an intriguing glimpse into what the fans can expect from Guardiola. He showed his ruthlessness by dropping England goalkeeper Joe Hart to the bench and completely omitting Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure. "They are professionals," Guardiola said, "and are going to fight for their places." He acknowledged it would take time for City to adapt to his methods although there was evidence of a new approach. Captain David Silva started in a deeper midfield role from where he was expected to instigate attacking moves while the full backs came inside to congest the middle, in a similar way to Bayern under Guardiola. "I'm very pleased about the performance," said the manager. "The second half we played really well. "Maybe we should attack quicker. We have to learn." (Reuters)

Premier League: Guardiola's City beat Sunderland 2-1, says luck favoured

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