Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola continues to look disappointed and bemused by his side as they drew 1-1 at home with Everton on Boxing Day.
City have won just one of their last thirteen games in all competitions and squandered a wonderful chance to get back to winning tactics when Erling Haaland saw a saved penalty in the second half.
Pep Guardiola’s reaction is incredibly solemn at the moment because City have lost ground not only in the race for the name (in which they are no longer in), but above all in the fight for a place in the top four.
“We played really well, but lately they’re in an era where this is happening. We create, we concede the first time they come, yes, we keep going,” a pessimistic Guardiola told Amazon Prime in the UK.
Asked if he saw any of the extra confidence he expected from him, Guardiola didn’t go that far, although he praised some facets of his performance.
“Yeah, we have to try, confidence will come with the results because always it is in our mind. The performance against that team was really cool. Defensively, offensively. We shoot a lot in the 18-yard box but unfortunately we couldn’t get the result we wanted.”
When asked what he expected his team to do against Leicester on Sunday, it was all about Guardiola’s mentality.
“It is recovery, just three days, and we need to go there with the best mentality as possible. That is all we need to do,” Guardiola said.
Later, in his post-match press conference, Guardiola congratulated his players.
“We shot I don’t know how many shots,” Guardiola said. “The first half was brilliant and the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half was really good. The first time they arrived they scored a goal. At the end, there were transitions and we controlled to avoid the defeat but we analyse the result because we are not happy. The performance and the way the guys have done in the situation were brilliant. We didn’t score the goals we need but there are games where I don’t like what I see: today that was not the case.”
He also said that Kyle Walker was ill and that Jack Grealish and Ederson had felt something in the upbringing and were in no condition to face Everton.
Guardiola also added that City are looking to make reinforcements in January when asked about the plan for the window.
“Even the players [think]: ‘Oh, we have to add some players,’ but the truth is, this season we have a lot [of problems]. And this is a problem,” Guardiola said.
“[But] I think it’s not about bringing a player for that [short term]. You have to bring a player for the next three, four or five years. And it’s not easy to do. But, of course, I think we have to review it because [the situation] has been going on for a long time.
“Eight vital players are [out]. And [Ilkay] Gundogan was not fit today [to start]. And Kevin [De Bruyne] was not in position for the 90 minutes. And maybe it came earlier. But yes, we have this situation. It’s been a long time. And of course, you have to talk to the club and it is the club that will decide. You have to take a look at it because it lasts a long time.
Manuel Akanji also asked via Amazon Prime in the UK if a draw was a fair result.
“I don’t think so, no,” Akanji said. “I think we did way more throughout the game. We created lots of chances. Unfortunately we only scored one goal and we conceded one, out of basically nothing. That is how football is.”
Akanji lamented City’s inability to finish off their chances and almost conceded a goal in stoppage time after pushing everyone forward.
“This was a game today where we were able to score two, three, four goals, but it didn’t want to go in,” Akanji said. “I’m being honest with you, it can’t happen that we nearly lose the game in the last minute. We are trying to attack and then we lose the ball and it’s a six against two situation in front of our goal. Luckily I could block the shot. But we still need to believe until the last moment that we can win the match but it wasn’t possible today.”
He was also asked if City can get back in the title race.
“The season isn’t over yet, that’s not our goal right now,” Akanji said. “We have to concentrate game after game and the next one is against Leicester, it may not be easy given the shape we are in. We want to fully concentrate and give our best in this game. “
Akanji also said City would gain some confidence thanks to that functionality in their match against Leicester on Sunday.
“We have done a lot of wonderful things. We defended well, we attacked well, we just couldn’t finish the actions. If we managed to finish them, I think we would have scored 3 or 4 goals,” Akanji added.
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