What Pep Guardiola thinks Man City must do to earn respect across Europe

Pep Guardiola can finally celebrate Manchester City’s title victory today, one week after it was confirmed, although he believes it will take more such successes before the club can challenge for Europe’s biggest prize.

City were knocked out of the Champions League 5-1 by Liverpool in the quarter-finals and Guardiola insists that Europe’s ultimate club honour is not their priority.

Instead, he says he would settle for “only” the Premier League again next season as he believes City lack the “respect” and status to win in Europe.

“I realise this season how difficult it will be to win the Champions League,” said Guardiola ahead of today’s meeting with Swansea. “Maybe I am wrong but before you win the Champions League you have to win more Premier Leagues in a row, to get respect in Europe that you are a top club.

“Of course we are going to try but I don’t know if we are like a club to have the power on and off the pitch to achieve and to get there. So I would prefer, like this season, to be solid in the Premier League.

“The Premier League is the priority next season, absolutely. The Premier League is the most important title.”

Guardiola declined to expand upon precisely how a lack of respect cost his club in Europe although the City manager was vocal about what he believed were poor refereeing decisions in the defeats against Liverpool.

However, the Catalan insisted he was under no pressure from City’s owners to deliver on the European stage. “When I came here, the chairman never said ‘you have to win the Champions League’ or ‘you have to win the Premier League’,” said Guardiola.

“They said to do what you believe to do and try to be constant for as long as possible. We did it for one season but I think to be a solid team, and Europe can start watching what we have done, it is not just one season.

“But what I have experienced for two seasons with this club in Europe, it is better to be focused on the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and then the Champions League.” Despite Sunday's party atmosphere, Guardiola wants a positive response from his players.

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“They think that because they’ve done it once they will do it again and that makes them lose energy,” he said. “When they used to run five metres now they run three metres. And that two metres makes the difference.

“That’s why next season will be much harder. It happened in Barcelona and Munich. I made the players press more and work more. Our relationship next season will not be this friendly.”