Specifically, Pep Guardiola was not happy with the attitude of Manchester City’s non-starters. Even the Munchen team’s woeful showing in the last week’s Champions League fixture against Bayer Leverkusen upset him. City manager Pep Guardiola heavily rotated his side, making ten changes to his lineup for the game at the Etihad Stadium. He came away underwhelmed by the players’ performance. Guardiola stated that his team played too cautiously, prioritizing the avoidance of mistakes over taking risks and making impactful plays.
In the wake of the 2-0 defeat, Guardiola took responsibility for the loss, acknowledging that his decisions contributed to the outcome. He hailed the value of creativity, improvisation and flair, and encouraged risk taking in football. He lamented that his players failed to adapt to these factors in the match. City are looking ahead to their next league match. Per usual, they’ll face the Three Lions without one of their most important midfielders, Rodri, who’s recovering from a hamstring injury picked up earlier this month.
Disappointment in Performance
Guardiola was far from mincing the words in criticising his team’s display against Leverkusen. He expressed his displeasure at the players’ lack of willingness to engage. Rather than engage or take a forward-looking approach, they appear to have opted for caution.
“They play to be safe. To don’t be, ‘oh, I’m making mistakes and I want to be noticed’ and that’s why it’s so difficult,” – Pep Guardiola
While easy to miss, his comments reflect a profound sadness at the attitude of those players who had been handed a chance to perform. Guardiola hopes to see his group take responsibility when the situation calls for it. He insists that a lot of players did not meet his expectations.
He expressed that he was too forgiving with some player chances. He admitted that there is a tradeoff to be made when balancing providing minutes to members of the squad while putting a competitive side out on the field.
“Maybe I’ll have a theory to rotate. You have to rotate because it’s impossible to sustain. But I had a lot of confidence in them, still, right now, I have a lot,” – Pep Guardiola
Looking Ahead
As Manchester City gears up for their next match, Guardiola teased some more alterations to the starting XI. He had already dropped hints that he wouldn’t be afraid to make changes following that dismal performance against Leverkusen. It will be hard to convince the manager that things are bad, given the unforgiving nature of the Champions League and his knowledge that form has to be maintained.
Guardiola was very philosophical about the recent defeat to Newcastle earlier in the week. A bright note even after the defeat to Leverkusen was his high spirits. He shared a sense that, though disappointment is natural and real, what’s most important is to learn and look ahead.
Guardiola confirmed Rodri will miss this weekend’s league opener at Burnley. This absence continues to deprive City of one of their most crucial midfielders as they aim to recover from back-to-back losses.
“In football, when you play on the greens, you have to try things that we didn’t try,” – Pep Guardiola
This quote to me highlights how strongly he wants players to play more aggressively in games to come.
Emphasizing Responsibility
Never inconsistent with his principles as a leader, Guardiola ultimately places responsibility for his team’s failures on himself. He knows that his decisions will largely determine how the team will perform on the field. He is dedicated to ensuring the right course corrections are made as they continue on.
“Not to play to ‘I’m going to do something’. And that is so difficult,” – Pep Guardiola
Even in those rough moments, his commitment to growing up to be the “beautiful person” that his parents want him to be never wavers. Guardiola’s approach strikes the right balance between holding people accountable and building them up, always with an eye toward instilling confidence within his players.
Leave a Reply