Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, Domènec Torrent, has insisted that the Manchester City manager is not angry about his failure to win the Champions League at the club.
Torrent has worked as Guardiola’s assistant in all of his managerial posts, starting with him at Barcelona before moving to Bayern Munich and Manchester City with him too.
Their relationship was a highly successful one, with Torrent winning League titles in Spain, Germany and England, as well as several other domestic trophies.
They also secured two Champions League titles during their time at Barcelona, with successes in 2008/09 and 2010/11.
That success in 2011 was the last time Guardiola won Europe’s top club competition, with both Manchester City and Bayern Munich falling short on several occasions under Guardiola’s leadership.
It’s been widely suggested this is something that annoys the City coach given his earlier success, but Torrent insists that isn’t the case.
“He takes that in a sporting way because he’s an athlete and knows that it can’t be planned,” he told Kicker.
“In Bavaria’s 2012 final, Chelsea already benefited from Barca’s missed chances in the semi-final, Messi missed a penalty.
“On the other hand, we were very lucky in the 2009 semi-final against Chelsea, Andres Iniesta’s dream goal saved us seconds before the end.
“Otherwise we wouldn’t have reached the final, and the Rome triumph would have remained a dream.
“What really annoys Pep is that many people act as if they could plan this title.”
While Champions League success has been out of reach for Guardiola, he has continued to dominate the leagues he’s worked in.
That’s certainly been the case with Manchester City, where he has won two titles, three league cups and one FA Cup in his four years in charge.
His success in England hasn’t surprised Torrent, who says the search for perfection is what continues to drive the Spaniard.
“For Pep, it’s not going against anyone else,” he added.
“That wasn’t what drove him at Barca when Mourinho Real Madrid coached. Pep is all about his goal of the perfect game.
“100 points 2018, 2019 title defended in front of a super-strong Liverpool by Jürgen Klopp. This is important to him as a constant.
“It’s no surprise Guardiola is making his mark. Thoughtful football with good players always wins through.
“Like Bayern, he took City to a new level, spurring on the competition and raising the overall level of the league. Not just him, but for him too.”
