Pep Guardiola has said his Manchester City side are currently some ways from being competitive with the best teams in Europe despite winning four games from four at the start of the new Premier League season.
Speaking on Monday ahead of City's first UEFA Champions League group clash of 2016-17 against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday, Guardiola played down his club's position among the European elite, per ESPN's Jonathan Smith:
Pep: To compete with the best teams in Europe we are far away.
— Jonathan Smith (@jonnysmiffy) September 12, 2016
He also picked out Barcelona's Lionel Messi as the best player in the Champions League—rather than any City player—with the Argentinian superstar having twice won the competition during Guardiola's reign at the Camp Nou, per the Independent's Ian Herbert:
Guardiola is asked who is best player in Champions League.