Pep points at ball for City shock
Guardiola makes bizarre excuse for cup draw
The Manchester City boss was talking after his mega-bucks side failed to score in 120 minutes against Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup. The Premier League giants ultimately won the clash 4-1 on penalties but that a side that has gone unbeaten this season, brushing aside every team in its path, struggled to beat a team in the division below them came as something of a surprise.
That was not least because they were held to a goalless draw having scored goals by the bucketload against the best in England, 32 times in just nine matches.
And while managers are not immune to laying the blame elsewhere other than squarely at their own feet — ball boys, frogs and Michael Jackson just three reasons coaches have trotted out after defeat (see box right) — Guardiola this time had a go at the ball.
“It is too light, it moves all over the place, it is not a good ball. It is impossible to score with a ball like that,” the Spaniard told reporters after the match. “I can say that because we won, I’m not making excuses. All of my players said: ‘What is that?’ I’m sorry Carabao Cup is not a serious ball for a serious competition. It’s (for) marketing, money, OK but it’s not acceptable – (it has) no weight, nothing.
“We play with a different ball. It’s not Nike, Adidas I don’t know, it’s a different brand. It’s unacceptable to play with the ball.”
Asked if his players had had time to practise with the ball that was introduced at the start of the season for all EFL competitions but not the Premier League, the 46-year-old was dismissive. “One day or two days, but the ball is bad for one year or two years, it’s not acceptable. All the players complain,” he added.
Guardiola started the week warning fans that anyone who thought his side could remain unbeaten all season had better think again. City already enjoy a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table and have played some free-flowing football of the highest standard. But he pointed to their Wolverhampton woe as proof that unbeaten seasons are the stuff of dreams, not reality.
“Maybe now people will understand why things are difficult in football — it’s so complicated in this competition,” Guardiola said. “From tomorrow we have to focus again for the Premier League. In the first half we deserved to score one or two goals – we had chances in the first half but in the second half there were some counterattacks, they were so fast.”
LONDON: Football managers are known for dishing out excuses for their teams’ poor performances but Pep Guardiola added a new reason to the long list: the ball being “too light.”