Pep Guardiola expressed frustration with Manchester City’s performance in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. He believes they only played well in one half of the game, and this result puts them in third place, four points behind Liverpool. However, they do have a game in hand.
Raheem Sterling’s 43rd-minute strike came from a breakaway move that took advantage of City’s lax defending in the opening period, before Rodri’s late equaliser shared the points.
Guardiola stated that his team’s performance in the second half was exceptional. However, he acknowledged that their first half performance was not up to their usual standards. He emphasized the importance of playing at a high level for the entire 90 minutes in order to compete against strong teams, instead of just for one half.
Rodri and his manager were in agreement. The midfielder stated, “When we defend like we did, we cannot expect to score more. Our first half performance was not great.” He also acknowledged the team’s need to improve their defense and be honest with themselves. He added that once they let in an easy goal, the game becomes more difficult.
Rodri expressed his dissatisfaction with the referee, Andy Madley. He stated that he did not want to discuss the referee, but he could not recall a game where there were so many VAR checks and none in favor of his team. He urged the referee to be more fair and not just tell the players to move on.
Guardiola declined to comment on the refereeing, but City’s extra match will take place on Tuesday at home against Brentford.
The City manager expressed their determination to secure points, stating that they will focus on their team despite feeling disappointed with the end result. The match ended in a 1-1 tie.
Mauricio Pochettino expressed satisfaction with the draw leading up to the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
“Our team is quite young and it’s important for us to experience these types of games in order to improve and develop the necessary team spirit. I am extremely happy with our performance,” stated the manager of Chelsea. “I expressed to the players how proud I am of them. In the last three games, we have been able to cultivate a strong team spirit, which is our goal. Today’s match was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate that we are heading in the right direction. We have shown in every game that we are determined to be competitive.”
“We are looking forward to a strong match against Liverpool. Our top priority is to maintain our belief in ourselves. We must focus on recovering and preparing for the game with the utmost effort. It’s crucial that we have confidence in our ability to defeat Liverpool. I believe they are the second best team in the world. Our belief is key and we must now focus on recuperation and preparation for the final.”
Source: theguardian.com
