In 2012, Chelsea finished sixth in England and fired their manager in March. They still won the Champions League, the biggest prize in club football. The team that finished first in England that year, Manchester City, did not even make it out of the group stage.
Guardiola is pointing at exactly that gap. A league title takes 38 games against everyone else, home and away, over nine months. You cannot win it by accident. The Champions League trophy comes down to a handful of knockout games in spring. Football is a low-scoring sport, so one goal can decide who advances. Over a single match, the score barely tells you which team was better. Your best player limps off in April, a referee waves away a clear penalty, a shootout goes against you, and nine months of work disappears. Chelsea won that 2012 final on penalties, in Bayern Munich's own stadium, while sitting sixth in their own country.
His own career says the same thing. Across Spain, Germany, and England, Guardiola has won the league title twelve times. He has won the Champions League three times, and twelve years passed between his second and his third. For most of that stretch he had the best team in Europe and still went home early, beaten by the same thing he is describing.
Barcelona under Hansi Flick is the latest example. They have won the Spanish league two years running and won every major trophy in Spain the season before. Then Inter knocked them out of Europe, 7-6 across two games. The next year they lost to an Atletico Madrid side sitting twenty-two points beneath them in the league. Over a full season, Barcelona were clearly the better team. Over two nights, they lost.
A league title means you were the best team in the country for nine months. A Champions League run means you got through a few nights in spring without anything going wrong. Guardiola is asking people not to confuse the two.
@EBL2017 Anderson and Rice starting together for England will be nothing but a shite show, can't wait for when this Anderson bubble will burst. Just as mid as they come in england.
Igor Thiago ahead of Richarlison is wrong, Richy got WC experience, Carlo made this team very weak with woke picks. This guy has no business in the Brazil NT, will inflate his value to what it is not, and mid-table PL team (Chelsea) will get fooled and sign a long-term problem
Honestly the career path of a lot of ex United players really goes to show how much of Sir Alex Ferguson's success was dependent on match fixing. Bcos how do you coach for 30yrs and not produce one intelligent former player??
The Nigerian Police Force have rescued Adelabu's kidnapped family under 72H.
Under 3days.
46 children and their teachers, are still in captivity after 3 weeks.
If the entire workforce in Oyo state isn't occupying the streets next week - all of you are fools.
“Chelsea weren’t an elite football club but elite cheats. Roman Abramovich has shown that the football club cheated repeatedly to win tournaments. It has actually been proven”
Simon Jordan
@Asensii20 After making clips for days literally😭😭😭😭
You better find some nigerians to put you on and stop wasting your life on the app you get nothing but constant abuse🤣
https://t.co/Vk2otDGdLk