Pep Guardiola demands his Manchester City players 'start thinking like winners'

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Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players to start thinking like winners if they want to become the best in Europe.

Guardiola is certain that his team have all the talent necessary to take on anybody, but feels that getting the mental side of their game right is the key to success.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager’s first season at the Etihad Stadium ended in May without a trophy as they finished third in the Premier League, with City repeatedly failing to win matches despite dominating in terms of chances and possession.

It appeared in the early stages of this season that the same flaws were still an issue, with City scoring just once from 19 goal attempts as they were held 1-1 at home by Everton last month.

However, Guardiola’s side have found their rhythm since returning from the recent international break, scoring nine goals in a week without conceding any, as they followed up last Saturday’s 5-0 thrashing of 10-man Liverpool with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Feyenoord in the Champions League on Wednesday.

That win in Holland was City’s first away from home in European competition since Guardiola’s arrival 15 months ago, and marked a significant step forward for the club.

Guardiola, who takes his side to face Watford at Vicarage Road in the Premier League today, has now challenged his players to prove they can produce such performances while playing two games a week, as he argues Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and Juventus have done consistently.

He said: “The big clubs win the games and that is the big difference. The teams I left at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the other big teams, like Madrid, and Juventus, have a game every three days. They are there, they make a professional performance, score a goal in the right moment and win the game. That is the process we have to discover.

“Last season, we were not able to win many games against the top five, top six in the Premier League. We didn’t win one game away in the Champions League.

“First of all I start with that, to believe. To believe we can play good football, but also that we can beat them, we can compete, even in the Champions League.

“That is the best I can offer or what I would like to give to my players, more than the tactical issues.

“When we are able to do that, then I will feel we have made a step forward to become a better team. Of course, when you have time to prepare, you can compete everywhere.

“Last season, we could compete in the games against the top six, but we were not able to win. That is the gap we have to achieve this season.”

Guardiola has needed time to implement his possession-based style at City, but suggested that even at Barcelona, where he won 14 trophies in four seasons, his players did not always get it right.

He said: “Of course, what we have done against Feyenoord is what I liked and tried to do at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But sometimes I wasn’t able to do it, even at Barcelona and in Munich.

“What I want is to keep the ball high and press, to control the counter-attacks and be there and after they have three passes, we have the ball. That is always the target and why I came here.

“But that is a process and with City, I feel now, they have good players that become a big team.”

Guardiola suggested that captain Vincent Kompany could return from a calf injury to face West Brom in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. The central defender has been absent since suffering the setback while on international duty with Belgium earlier this month.

“Vinnie has come back and trained with us,” Guardiola said. “He’s not ready, but I think in the next days he will be able to play again.”