Man City far from winning Champions League, says Pep Guardiola despite victory over Real Madrid | Football news

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City “are far away” from winning the Champions League despite beating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

City reinforced their bid for a top-eight finish in the Champions League league stage with a 2-1 win over Real Madrid, which lifted them to fourth in the league stage table after only their second win at the Bernabeu, with Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray in the new year.

The result left Guardiola’s side third among Sky Bet betting favorites, behind Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

However, Guardiola, speaking to TNT Sports, dampened the enthusiasm behind these chances, saying: “We are (far) far away. Yet we are not ready. In February we will be better. We have been here in the past, we played a lot more than today and we lost. That’s football sometimes.

“The players made an incredible effort, it was an incredibly good result, the spirit is incredible, but there is still room for improvement.”

He added: “It could be better. Of course, winning at the Bernabeu is very difficult. Four, five, six players played their first game here, so maybe we are not completely ready to play in these stages like we are, but it is a process and there are a lot of new players.

“Winning here, I have to be happy, especially in terms of points. We already have 13, so it’s in our hands to finish in the top eight. That’s the goal. Winning here, after what happened in Leverkusen, was a good thing.

“Rodrygo, what a player. Vinicius, Bellingham and the pace they have up front is so dangerous and that’s why we can’t stay high. You have to be very committed to the way you defend. We missed a bit, but overall the effort was extraordinary.”

Haaland: We are very happy with an important victory

Man City’s Erling Haaland speaking to TNT Sports:

“It’s difficult to come here and the game has a lot of transitions. We could have scored another goal. I was close to a goal in the second half, Jérémie [Doku] It was close on several occasions but the game was a bit chaotic. We can’t really control it, which is difficult and it’s difficult to come here, so in the end we’re super happy.

“It could have been completely different today if we hadn’t won because we lost to Leverkusen, so this victory is really important.

“Now we still have two games left so we need to finish strong now and hopefully we can be in the top eight because then we will qualify.”

Bellingham: players 100% behind Alonso

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso is said to be under heavy pressure to keep his job after two wins in eight in all competitions since the start of November.

When asked if the players were behind Alonso, Jude Bellingham told TNT Sports: “100 percent.

“The manager has been great. I personally have a great relationship with him and I know a lot of the boys do too. After that run of draws we had some good conversations internally and we felt we had put that form behind us going into the last two games. No one is dropping tools, no one is complaining or moaning. We take it on the chin and keep fighting.

“We always try to find a solution in the dressing room, regardless of what happens outside. We know it doesn’t help us. One thing is the way we manage games. Some points where we have to suffer, we feel like we always concede and that puts us behind and forces us to play in a way we don’t want.

“But in the dressing room we have what we need to turn things around, maybe we need a bit of luck or maybe something we need to discuss internally. I am convinced that this season is not over just because we are in bad form.”