Pep Guardiola has rejected the idea of him walking away from Manchester City, should their failure to win the Champions League continue.
The Catalan coach is entering his seventh season as manager of the reigning Premier League champions - the longest spell at any of the three senior clubs he has coached in his managerial career.
However, one trophy continues to elude he and his squad of players - the UEFA Champions League.
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Manchester City sustained disappointing and heartache once again during the latter stages last season.
The Premier League heavyweights fell to a semi-final defeat to Real Madrid, despite being just minutes away from booking their place in a final against Liverpool.
This season, City will be hoping to go all the way, and are placing a significant amount of their hopes on the shoulders of new striker signing Erling Haaland.
Despite urges from the outside for City to win the competition, Pep Guardiola has once again insisted that it is not the main priority for he and the Etihad officials.
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"People might say it's an excuse but I'm not here to win the Champions League. The owners didn’t ask me," Pep Guardiola exclaimed during a recent press conference.
"Of course they want it - and I am the first to want it. But it was the same with (Bayern) Munich and with Barcelona, where I won it twice.
"Every year I want to win all four titles. And if I am a manager in 30 or 40 years I will want to win the Champions League every season. But I didn't feel a failure in the two years at Barcelona and the three with Bayern when we didn't win.
We want to win it - but at the same time I'm not the master of the universe.
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"We try to do it. We were closer last season - and we will try again this season. But I'm aware how difficult the opponents are and how the competition is so difficult."
The Manchester City boss also stressed his happiness at his current position, giving supporters high hope that Guardiola could yet extend his contract beyond the end of the current campaign - when his existing deal is set to expire.
"First, obviously, I am still here because we won. Otherwise I would not be here.
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"I have good professionals here who are also my friends - but my friends are not stupid. It is a business and they need results. So I am here because we won. But we won together and this is the reason I am here."
Pep Guardiola continued, "I like my life, I like my job and I like the people I am doing it with. Obviously if there was trouble and I had problems, I would not be here for seven years.
"So everything is fluid. I am pretty sure I am happy here and at the end I am going to stay.
"If not, it’s not because I want to move forward or move to another place. It’s because I will stop. I will take a break. These are my thoughts right now."
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Manchester City begin their 2022/23 season with a trip to the London Stadium, where they face West Ham United on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign.
Topics: Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, Champions League, Premier League, Football
Freddie Pye