Pep Guardiola has expressed his love and happiness at Manchester City, while also admitting that he has unfinished business in the Champions League.
Guardiola has spent longer at Man City than at any other team in his coaching career, joining in 2016, and says he is happier than ever.
"I was incredibly happy my whole time in Barcelona, and my team in Bayern Munich, you cannot imagine the club and the city. I am a privileged guy to have been there," he told Rio Ferdinand in an interview with BT Sport.
"But here, after I reflect on four or five years here, I feel so good. I feel so good now, but I feel so good last season when we didn’t win.
"I feel good. I have friends. I feel protected. The fans, I feel love from them. The team follow me, I love to work with them. I have incredible facilities to work. I hate November, December, January, February in England because I would like better weather! I have everything. I have everything to do my job, and that is why I extended the contract. That is the only reason why."
Guardiola added that he always wanted to work in England, and now that he is here, he is loving life.
"Always, when I was in Barcelona and Munich, I had the feeling, the dream to come here," he added. "To train in Shakespeare country, the Beatles country, the Oasis country. The theatre, the movies. It’s not football. This country is special for many, many, many reasons.
"I wanted to live it, and once I was there, living with friends, because the chairman is a friend of mine, the CEO, the sporting director are friends of mine from Barcelona. That makes my life so easy."
Perhaps most pointedly, though, the City boss, who signed a contract extension in November until 2023, admitted that the pressure of winning the Champions League is on and that he accepts that his team's failure in the competition is rightly seen as 'unfinished business'.
"Yes, I will have this pressure for the rest of my time here in England," he replied when asked if the unfinished business he previously referred to was related to the Champions League.
"I know it. If we don’t get to the latter stages, it will be unfinished business. I know this, I accept it. And when everyone says this, maybe it’s right.
"But it’s not just about that, I had the feeling we can play better with some new players and extend the way we play it. The qualities we can do, do it longer, extended it longer.
"And I cannot deny it, I would love what we have done in the Premier League - to be incredibly consistent during four years, because last season wasn’t bad in terms of results, the difference was an incredible team that got 99 points.
"But the first season was incredible in Carabo Cups, FA Cups, but I cannot deny we were not able to do it in Europe, but hopefully this season, we can make the next step."
Ferdinand then asked why Guardiola has been unable to achieve in the Champions League when his Premier League teams have been so good.
Guardiola, philosophical as ever, simply put it down to the differences between the competitions and the fine margins that can sometimes go against you in Europe.
"Because, essentially, for one inch, we are out. We have five metres to shoot the goal without a keeper and we go out. It’s completely different," he said.
He then added: "That is Champions League, and you have to accept, as a manager, as football players, it is what it is. And when you don’t win it, you have to accept it, that you are not good enough, unlucky, or whatever, so I think that is the difference.
"Because in Europe, as well, the quality of the strikers, the teams are so, so, good. Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, now PSG, they are exceptional, exceptional teams."
It seems, then, that Guardiola is happier than ever and committed to the long-term project. And with City currently steaming towards a historic quadruple, he might finally complete his unfinished business.
