Moment Pep saw writing on wall
PEP GUARDIOLA has admitted to knowing since August that Manchester City would have problems this season.
Guardiola is on course for his worst season as a manager, having never finished outside the top two with Barcelona and having won the Bundesliga in each of his three seasons with Bayern Munich.
City sit fourth in the Premier League going into today’s match and unless they win the FA Cup, Guardiola will finish a campaign without a trophy for the first time as boss.
He has pinpointed a lack of ruthlessness in attack and periods of slack defending as the reasons. He said he had concerns as early as their second match, despite beating Steaua Bucharest 5-0 in a Champions League play-off. “I knew then we had problems, especially in attack,” he said. “Normally that game would be 12-0. We missed two penalties and so many chances.
“I was happy because we qualified but after that I realised we had to play really well to win Premier League games.
“Then we played well in three or four games but still didn’t win. We have to be honest with ourselves. We were not good enough to compete for the Premier League.”
Guardiola feels he has learnt plenty from a difficult first season in England.
He said: “I will be better – definitely. This season was a lesson. It’s normal when you have seven, eight or nine years as a manager to have a season when you don’t have as much success.
“You learn. I don’t regret that I was not able to know that our problems in the boxes don’t solve themselves. It’s part of our growth.”
Hull manager Marco Silva has put talks over his future on hold as he plots a great escape.
The Portuguese has transformed Hull’s fortunes since replacing Mike Phelan, with the 4-2 midweek win over Middlesbrough lifting them out of the bottom three for the first time in six months.
Hull are fourth in the Premier League form table with 17 points since the arrival of the 39-year-old to put them behind only Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton, and above Manchester City.
Silva lost Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore in January but has silenced those who said his signing was a panic move.
He is contracted until the summer but Hull are keen to tie him down to a long-term deal. Silva said: “We have only one focus – and that is to remain in the Premier League.
“There’s no new deal yet but I have a good relationship with the owners and am happy here. We’ll talk at the end of the season.”
I knew then we’d struggle