Fowler hoping Blues get same trophy chance as Liverpool – ‘Fearless Man City deserve a shot at Champions League crown’
Fowler hoping Blues get same trophy chance as Liverpool – ‘Fearless Man City deserve a shot at Champions League crown’
The former Reds and Blues striker is looking for the Premier League title to end up at Anfield and for European glory to be chased down at the Etihad
Manchester City deserve to be given a chance to chase down Champions League glory, says former Blues striker Robbie Fowler, with Pep Guardiola’s side having shown that they fear nobody.
Guardiola has seen his wait for European glory reach the nine-year point, with his last success coming at Barcelona in 2011.
He was taken to the Etihad Stadium in a bid to deliver a first European Cup for City and big money has been spent in pursuit of that trophy, with plenty of domestic triumphs savoured along the way.
But the most prestigious of prizes has remained elusive and that may remain the case for the foreseeable future, with the Blues having been stung with a two-year ban from Champions League competition.
They had, however, got one foot in the 2019-20 quarter-finals before hitting lockdown – with a 2-1 away win over Real Madrid secured in the first leg of a heavyweight last-16 encounter – and Fowler hopes an opportunity will present itself to finish that quest.
The ex-Liverpool and City frontman told The Mirror: “People have spoken about getting football back again so Liverpool can be crowned champions, but I’d like to see City also get a shot at the Champions League.
“They have a wonderful team, and they won’t be afraid of any other side left in the competition. Not their round-of-16 opponents Real Madrid, not Barca, nor PSG.”
Pep Guardiola Manchester City Real Madrid 2019-20
Premier League football is set to resume on June 17, while UEFA is planning on getting the current Champions League tournament played to finish.
Fowler concedes that will not be easy, but feels there are ways of getting major silverware handed out.
He added: “I think there are real problems around getting the European games back on this season, even though it now seems the big four leagues in Europe will all resume their competitions.
“For a start, there’s the quarantine the UK Government wants to introduce.
“If people have to self-isolate when they come back from abroad, then that would mean teams not being able to play for at least a fortnight following any European trips.
“There are ways around it, I suspect. I reckon the only sensible thing to do with the Champions League is make it a tournament, in a neutral city, with a straight knock-out after the remaining games of the round of 16 are finished.
“You could finish it in 10 days, with the final at the end of it. The German league will have finished a little earlier, but the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A will all finish sometime in July. Play it then.”