Pep Guardiola insists he is not thinking about the Premier League title after Manchester City’s dramatic Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid.
In the space of only a few weeks, City have been knocked out of both the FA Cup and Europe’s elite club competition, leaving only the League as a potential avenue for silverware this season.
Given rivals Liverpool could yet win all four major trophies, even lifting a League title could be seen as a disappointment and any slip-up in the run-in could leave Guardiola empty-handed for the first time since his first season in charge of the club.
The champions host Newcastle United on Sunday and could kick-off four points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side, should they overcome Tottenham at Anfield on Saturday night.
Guardiola, however, has stressed that his focus has not changed despite the loss in Madrid, though did hint that the money the club spend would have been highlighted as a major factor had they won the Champions League.
“The focus will be exactly the same because the potential final would have been after the Premier League,” he said.
“The Leeds game was difficult and after this we knew it would be four finals. I’m not thinking about the title, I’m thinking about Newcastle, focus on the team and Eddie Howe.
“I am always starving [for trophies].
“I cannot spend a year just thinking about how happy I am. If we had won the Champions League it would be the money we spend, not how hard we work. The players don’t realise now but it’s [losing] a gift for us.
“I’d love to win the Champions League and be in the final but we have to be better from what happened in Madrid.”
