LEAKED: Pep Guardiola issued Lionel Messi challenge to Man City players in Champions League match last season.
As he attempted to enthuse his own players, Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, discussed what makes Lionel Messi so exceptional.
Pep Guardiola pushed his Manchester City players to win the Champions League by challenging them to be as merciless as Lionel Messi, the “beast.” Last season, City traveled to Belgium for the group stage after a home victory over RB Leipzig was followed by a loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues were in need of a win to stay ahead of the French team at the top of the group.
Guardiola’s speech to the team in the dressing room before they took the field against Club Brugge was captured on camera for a new City documentary.
The City manager used the best player he has ever worked with to inspire the squad after emphasizing that no one would deliver them Champions League glory.
Do you understand why Messi is the greatest player I have ever seen? He stated: “He’s an animal because he’s a f****** competitor.
“We now pass the ball while pausing to gaze. Attack them here [beating tactics board in penalty area] when you pass the ball. You guys need to score goals.
“Messi moves in like a machine after passing the ball. He can smell the finish line. Both crossing and arriving are requirements.”
The game was won by City 5-1, and they went on to win their group and advance to the knockout stages, where they suffered an agonizing loss at the hands of Real Madrid in the semifinals.
Guardiola’s backroom team discussed the work the manager conducts with his players, and analyst Carles Planchart claimed to have data demonstrating the progress each player makes while working with the manager.
Since a player begins working with Pep and continues working with Pep for one or two seasons, he believes he has verifiable evidence on how a player develops over time. Therefore, Pep’s work is really significant.
