My ‘incredible’ side have lot to learn says Pep
His dignified, quiet message must be heard
PEP GUARDIOLA surveyed the wreckage of his previously unbeaten season and admitted that defeats like this are why Manchester City have struggled to win the Champions League.
Chelsea’s man-of-the-match David Luiz described City as “the best team in the world” after his late header added to the woes of N’Golo Kante’s jack-hammer opening goal against the run of play just before the break.
But having dominated play, Guardiola, below, believes it was the experience and opportunism Luiz and Chelsea learned when they conquered Europe in 2012 that continues to give them an edge which City simply do not possess.
“We were incredible – better than last season when we won here,” the City boss said, still seemingly shell-shocked. “The first half we had chances and we cannot expect to have a lot of those against a team like Chelsea. But that is the level.
“When the people say Champions League, Champions League, we are not favourites because of that reason. At that level, you need nothing to score a goal and yet they scored – that’s why it’s so unpredictable.”
That same Chelsea ruthlessness means it takes just one unexpected win to put the scent of blood back in their nostrils.
Maurizio Sarri’s side may still be seven points adrift of City, but over the hectic Christmas period, Luiz firmly believes opportunities may come if the defending champions spend too long licking their wounds.
“I hope we hurt them and we can come closer to them in the table,” he said. “If you are not 100 per cent one day, you can be beaten.”
Chelsea’s problem is inconsistency. To turn out a performance like this after recent defeats by Tottenham and Wolves might have a lesser manager than Sarri pulling out his hair. Instead, the Italian shrugs it off as part of footballing life.
However, while Guardiola sees it as a blessing, Sarri By fears his team are struggling to come to terms with having to battle hard just for fourth place.
“They have won in the past, so it’s not easy now not to be fighting for the first positions,” he said. “Being professional does not make it automatic to have a great motivation. We have to play with the same level of application of the City game in every match. Against Brighton next week there will be three points available.”
City’s problem has been a relative lack of goals. They were averaging more than three a game all the time Sergio Aguero was leading the line in the Premier League but since his injury, that rate has dropped to just over one-and-a-half.
Failing to kill off Watford in midweek nearly cost them two points and so complete was their dominance of the first half on Saturday that Chelsea managed just six passes in the final third of the pitch in the entire 45 minutes. Yet still City were unable to capitalise.
Curiously, both teams started with a ‘false’ nine – Eden Hazard for Chelsea, Raheem Sterling for City. Perhaps if the latter had not fluffed an early chance, the match could have been very different.
Guardiola said: “You don’t have to tell me how competitive this league is. It’s you and your analysts that keep saying we are invincible, that we are perfect, how good we are and that in February we are going to win the league.”
CHELSEA (4-3-3):
Kepa 7; Azpilicueta 8, Rudiger 7, Luiz 9, Alonso 7; Kante 8, Jorginho 7, Kovacic 6 (Barkley 65, 6); Willian 7 (Loftus-Cheek 75, 6), Hazard 7 (Giroud 90), Pedro 7. Jorginho, Pedro. Kante 45, Luiz 78.
MOL Vidi (a), Thurs EL.
Ederson 7; Walker 7, Stones 7, Laporte 6, Delph 6; B Silva 6, Fernandinho 7, D Silva 6 (Gundogan 68, 6); Mahrez 7 (Foden 84), Sterling 7, Sane 6 (Jesus 53, 5). Hoffenheim (h), Wed CL.
Goals: UP:
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Referee: Booked: NEXT UP: NEXT
M Oliver (Northumberland).