Manchester City vs Gladbach: Pep Guardiola insists Premier League and Champions League double is possible

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that winning the Champions League and Premier League should not be beyond any English club, because Manchester United managed it.

City chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano believe that the demands of the Premier League make it virtually impossible to compete on both fronts, with the lack of help in domestic fixture scheduling exacerbating the problem.

But as he prepares to lead his new sides into the competition against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday night, Guardiola asked: “Why not?” to the question of whether a side could win both. He said he could give no reason why British teams have struggled in recent years.

Guardiola, who is expected to bring Sergio Aguero back into the side after Saturday’s victorious Manchester derby, said: “United won the Premier League and arrived in the final of the Champions League against Barcelona twice and against Chelsea, so why not?

“Why you cannot win today and win in three days? I would like to know why? Why should we not try to win the games? Why not? It is physical, yes, but is the same games in Spain or Germany. Maybe I will answer when we arrive in Feb March April and the players are … or have injuries but after four Premier League games, why you cannot compete every three days.”

Guardiola, who revealed that there had been “no time” to meet Jose Mourinho and drink wine after Saturday’s win at Old Trafford, has reached the semi-final of the Champions League in each of his seven seasons in management.

Though City’s performance rate in Europe did improve as they reached the semi-final last season, the ponderous pace of their game has been one of the problems and Guardiola has been bold, dropping Yaya Toure from his squad, which will rectify that. New statistical data on last season’s tournament showed that his Bayern side had the highest average possession – 67 per cent – and that is also likely to be reflected in the new City European style.

City’s Raheem Sterling, whose form has been revived under Guardiola, said that he had been motivated by the manager’s reassuring telephone call to him before the season and simple instructions.

“He makes it simple and shows you how it is, exactly where he wants you on the pitch and says the rest is down to you so there is not much a better feeling than that,” Sterling said.

The midfielder said he had also learned to shut out criticism. “I simply play football and don’t listen. You take a stroll and you look at the app on your phone to be nosey. But now I don’t pay any attention. I simply leave it alone.”

Guardiola said that Andre Schubert’s Monchengladbach – European Cup finalists against Liverpool in Rome 40 years ago next summer – were a “brave” side who sometimes played three at the back, attacked in numbers and had always made life difficult for him at Bayern. He named midfielder Christoph Kramer, Brazilian winger Raffael and Thorgan Hazard – brother of Chelsea’s Eden Hazard – as three prime threats. It may be a four-man defence at the Etihad.

The potential for sides like City to aspire to win the tournament was clear, he insisted. “No doubt about it. When I see Liverpool, Chelsea, United, Tottenham and the players, all of them have the level to play Champions League against good teams.”