After the series of three consecutive defeats, including a slap in the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon, the Manchester City coach spoke this Friday.
Apart “twenty minutes” against Fulham and the entire match against Bournemouth, “we are good” since the start of the season, put coach Pep Guardiola into perspective, questioned on Friday about the three successive defeats suffered by Manchester City. The Spaniard completed the press conference dedicated to the championship match scheduled for Saturday (6:30 p.m./5:30 p.m. GMT) in Brighton in just over three minutes.
Beaten by Tottenham (2-1) in the League Cup, by Bournemouth (2-1) in the league then Sporting Lisbon (4-1) in the Champions League, Guardiola could lose four matches in a row for the first time in his career. career. “There is a first for everything in life. Let’s hope that’s not the case.”he replied briefly.
The man who has coached Manchester City since 2016 wanted to take a step back from the supposed crisis his team was going through. “For twenty minutes against Fulham (3-2 victory on October 5, editor’s note), we were not good. Against Bournemouth (2-1 defeat on November 2), we were not good. But the rest of the matches, we were good. We are good”he insisted.
Private of Rodri
“They have proven time and time again what they are capable of. I haven’t changed my mind about them.”he said of his players. He also suggested that the injuries affecting his squad almost alone explained the poor recent results.
“It’s football, it happens. We know why we are struggling. We’re looking forward to the game (against Brighton) and after the international break. Then a few players will come back in better shape and recover.”he said. Guardiola is without Spanish defensive midfielder Rodri, recently named Ballon d’Or 2024, for several months. Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne played again in Lisbon for the first time since mid-September.
Players absent through injury in Portugal, including Ruben Dias, John Stones and Jack Grealish, are expected to withdraw again on Saturday, the coach said. Despite its recent setbacks, the four-time defending champion is only two points behind Liverpool, the current leader, who hosts Aston Villa on Saturday as part of the 11th day.
Swiss
