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Pep Guardiola called on his Manchester City defenders to ‘keep this frame of mind’ after scoring 706 minutes since they last conceded a goal in the Champions League.
City are only the third team in the competition’s history to maintain seven consecutive clean sheets, after AC Milan (seven, ending in 2005) and Arsenal (10), ending in 2006.
However, Guardiola has no illusions that tougher tests await him in the Champions League than those of Borussia Monchengladbach.
“What happened in the past is the past,” Guardiola said. ‘The quarterfinals, a bad game, bad moments, bad minutes, they can punish you with their quality.
‘Right now all the teams will be so great. We only conceded one goal against Porto. That is amazing.
“It is an incredible step forward for the team. Everyone runs a lot, not just the forwards. But it is important to understand that we defend with the ball. We have to be aggressive without the ball. All the teams right now, the quality they have, can punish you.
‘After the international break, we will have time to think. The quality is increasing and hopefully we can maintain this state of mind. I always think that when you go through that you deserve it. We try to play well and we’ll see what happens. ‘
Guardiola has distanced himself from the Q word, quadruple, but has been cutting and changing his lineup in an attempt to compete in all four competitions.
Raheem Sterling did not start for the third game in a row. Speaking last night, Guardiola said: ‘Now we have everyone in shape. So we can rotate six or seven players.
“If you want to compete in competitions you have to be fresh. The seasons are so long that we haven’t had a long week since October.
City’s 2-0 win Tuesday night was fueled by a great starter from Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne said: ‘We were patient at first and when we scored both goals, he gave us cover.
‘We control the game. It is always important when you are stable as a defense and as a team, it gives confidence to the whole team. It’s very good for Ederson and the defenders. It’s easy when we don’t concede.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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