Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has conceded that Manchester City needs rebuild after being crashed out of UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid on the aggregate of 6-3 through a Kylian Mbappe hatrick
Mbappe fired the 15-time winners of the European competition to a 3-1 second leg win on Wednesday, but much of the damage had already been done for City by conceding two late goals to lose the home leg 3-2 last week.
It is the third time in four seasons that City have been knocked out by the Spanish giants, but this is the first time since Guardiola’s appointment in 2016 that the English champions have failed to reach the last 16.
“The better team won,” Guardiola told Spanish TV station Movistar.
“We have had a bad year in the competition. If you finish 22nd, it is because we haven’t been right. It has been our worst year.”
Injuries to players like Rodri, Kelvin Debryne and others have played a significant role in City’s struggles this season.
The versatile striker, Haaland did not get off the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu due to a knee injury while defender, John Stones had to be replaced inside the first 10 minutes.
City’s consolation goal came thanks to two of their January signings as Nico Gonzalez tapped in after Omar Marmoush’s free-kick came back off the crossbar.
Guardiola said the rebuild had already begun as City spent £170 million ($214 million) on bringing Marmoush, Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis to the club during the mid-season transfer window.
“It is normal. Nothing lasts forever and in the group there are players that have marked an era,” added Guardiola.
“We cannot deny what this group of players have done, winning six Premier Leagues in seven years given what that competition is.
“In Europe always getting to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, final. It says a lot about what we have done.”
Ancelotti’s men have gone on to win the cup each time they defeated City in the past four years and Guardiola believes this version of Real Madrid is the best he has faced.
“This year we faced the best Madrid. In the previous ones, going through or not, we were very good,” he said.
“They are better because they are able to have the ball for long spells, can run, can defend well with a high line when they want, but also defend well with men behind the ball. You have to congratulate them.”
