Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is upset with careless mistakes as Manchester City threw away the Manchester derby with a pair of big defensive errors late versus Manchester United.
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City needed a good bounce to get on the scoreboard and lead Sunday, then had to watch as Bruno Fernandes’ late attempt to level the score bounded just wide of the far post.
But the attack wasn’t very good, and the defense made it worse late with a pair of awful defensive lapses that let Man United collect all three points at the Etihad Stadium.
So how did Pep Guardiola view the loss?
Pep Guardiola reaction — Manchester City manager reacts to late Manchester derby collapse
“This year many times, it’s happened. We give away many things, against Feyenoord. We are not nice in the way we play. It was so fluid before and now we struggle for different reasons. We put everything in the game and it was almost closed except for one chance from Bruno.”
“Nothing special. We gave away the two goals. … It is what it is. What can I say? It’s a tough season. … We didn’t play our best because some positions we are not our best.”
“There’s no defense. The result of games in previous season we didn’t lose eight games in two seasons now we lose eight in a few days. We cannot talk about targets when we lose a lot of games, and most of the time these things have happened. We have to move on and try to find the solution and try to win games.”
“We need results to lift our mood. When it happens getting worse and worse, the reality is like this. I’m the manager of these players and this club. I have to find a solution and so far I haven’t found it. This is the truth.”
Phil Foden reaction — On losing the late lead vs Manchester United
The foot: “Massively, the game was in our hands. I thought we were controlling the game and it seems to be the story at the moment where we switch off and they score two goals. It’s about trying to stick together, rebuild, and try to go again.”
More Foot: “We’re not used to losing this many games but something you have to experience this in life. When things are going wrong, they seem to go even worse. We’ve got to stick together, regroup, and go again. … 100 percent I felt we had control 1-nil up. You can concede for 1-1, but not right after. It’s unacceptable. … It becomes a mental thing where you feel it’s going to happen again. We need to get back to winning ways.”
Bernardo Silva reaction — “We’re playing like under-15s at the moment.”
“I don’t know what happened at the end. I think we played a very good game and football at this level is about doing the little things properly. We have a corner in the 87th minute and it ends up with your keeper. We’re playing like under-15s at the moment.”
“87th minute, corner for your team and the ball ends up with your keeper. for a penalty. You cannot make these stupid decisions. You pay the price.”
“I know that we don’t want them to happen but as I said if you look at the game until minute 86 there was only one team that could win this football game. And then for a Man City corner, you leave a center back at the back, Ruben stays back, you end up with the ball with our keeper. There’s no excuse for that at this level.”
