Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola defended his approach for their Champions League flop against Lyon on Saturday night.
Moussa Dembele scored two late goals as Lyon beat City 3-1 to set up a semi-final with Bayern Munich.
Guardiola has often been accused of overthinking his tactics in big Champions League matches.
This time he played a 3-5-2 formation with wing-backs instead of his usual 4-3-3 as centre-back Eric Garcia replaced attacking midfielder Phil Foden in the team that beat Real Madrid.
"In this competition, tactics is not the most important thing," said Guardiola - who last won the Champions League in 2011 with Barcelona.
"We worked three days on this. We discussed it and reviewed it. The way we played was really good. It was not a problem. I know how it works. I know why we did it.
"We will recover and restart and try to do it again. I am not able, with these guys, to break this line at the quarter-final.
"I think after what these guys have done, we deserve to go through but we are not able. Life is how you stand up again and next season we are going to try again."
Dembele clipped City defender Aymeric Laporte in the build-up to his first goal - but the video assistant referee allowed the goal to stand.
"It happened many times in this competition but I don't want to talk about anything now because it will be like we we are finding excuses as a club. It is what it is," added Guardiola.
Raheem Sterling missed an empty net from close range that would have made it 2-2 moments before Dembele's second.
"I have not seen him. We will talk in the hotel," said Guardiola. "The players were sad in the locker room. It is part of the game."