Pep Guardiola says 'incomplete' Manchester City not what they once were

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vinicius-junior/CbwQ4Mws/"]Vinicius Junior[/a]'s double inflicted a 2-1 defeat on 10-man [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]City[/a] on Tuesday, who lost captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/silva-bernardo/lUg03qcR/"]Bernardo Silva[/a] to a red card after just 20 minutes at the Etihad Stadium.[/p][p]Most of the damage was already done in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to Federico Valverde's hat-trick.[/p][p][b]Guardiola bemoaned the chance to truly test the 15-time European champions due to Silva's dismissal for handling Vincius' shot on the goal-line.[/b][/p][embed guid="d7aaeaef-bc67-44f4-9053-e0a01da3aafb" url="https://x.com/ManCity/status/2034053417140736123" social-type="twitter" /][p]Despite the scoreline, the tie was far more evenly contested than [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Madrid[/a]'s 6-3 aggregate victory when the sides met last season.[/p][p]City have embarked on a major rebuild over the past three transfer windows, with Silva one of the few remaining key figures from a squad that won four consecutive Premier League titles under Guardiola between 2021 and 2024.[/p][p]Guardiola's men have an immediate chance to bounce back when they face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] in the League Cup final on Sunday.[/p][p]But they trail the Gunners by nine points in the Premier League title race and face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] in the FA Cup quarter-finals next month.[/p][p][b]"Still we are not complete. Still there are things in certain moments (where) we need to be more clinical, but my feeling is it will be a question of time,"[/b] said Guardiola, who has won 15 major trophies during his decade in charge.[/p][p][b]"We are not a complete team, that is a reality. I've been in a team in Manchester City where we were a team in all aspects. Still we are not, but we have a final on Sunday, FA Cup against Liverpool and the Premier League is still tight.[/b][/p][p][b]"We need to finish the Premier League strong, prepare good decisions for the summer and next season we will be back in the Champions League."[/b][/p][embed guid="99223955-70da-412d-a988-1a157f61639e" url="https://x.com/ManCity/status/2034025732406399166?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Guardiola did lead City to Champions League glory in 2022/23, but just one European crown in 10 years is the one slight blemish on his record since arriving in Manchester.[/p][p]However, he said he wants City to aspire to the demands of Madrid, where anything other than winning the competition is deemed a failure.[/p][p][b]"I would love this club to be like Madrid where if you don't win the Champions League, it is a failure. That is pressure.[/b][/p][p][b]"(At) City it is not the expectation. In time maybe we will get that."[/b][/p]