Gabriel Jesus has noticed a change in maturity in the Manchester City squad as they continue to search for improvement in the Champions League.
City have suffered four consecutive exits at the quarter-final stage or earlier under Pep Guardiola and still have a point to prove in Europe.
One player who has relished the challenge in Europe in recent games, however, is Jesus. The Brazilian is the youngest player from his country to score ten goals in the Champions League, and he put in two landmark performances against Real Madrid last season to help the Blues progress against the thirteen-time winners.
That scalp is the benchmark for what City need to progress further this season, and Jesus told Champions Journal that he has seen progress in his side that gives him optimism for the knockout stages after Christmas as he explained what the competition means to him.
He explained: “The truth is that to win the Champions League you need an extra something – and this team has been maturing.
“When I’m in the tunnel waiting to go onto the field and I hear the song, I get very emotional. I remember my past, when I wanted to be a football player. I would sometimes skip school to watch some games – I hope my mother doesn’t see this interview!
“To be able to play today, to make my mark in this competition, makes me very happy.”
It's not only maturity from his teammates that Jesus has noticed, as he explained how he keeps himself motivated through rough periods of his career.
Jesus has spent most of his time at City playing back-up to Sergio Aguero, but says he is always targeting perfection whenever he takes the field.
“I demand a lot from myself, as I’m a striker. I’ve long made a resolution that I must score plenty of goals," he revealed. “I know I have to improve on a daily basis, seeking perfection even if it’s unreachable. I must seek it by working hard every day to improve bit by bit.
“I want to always be playing and doing things, and enjoying what I love the most. I’ve gone through both happy and unhappy spells in my career, so I’ve been maturing more and more. I have to mature further still.”
