Fans mock keeper but Pep praises him
PEP GUARDIOLA staunchly defended Claudio Bravo after Manchester City fans ironically cheered their own goalkeeper last night.
Bravo allowed an early Harry Bunn effort to slip through him as Huddersfield Town briefly stunned their illustrious hosts before City romped to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The Chilean — in for City’s new No 1 Willy Caballero — has now conceded nine goals from his last 14 shots and from the first effort on target in three of his last four matches.
A significant number of home supporters rejoiced sarcastically when Bravo saved from Jack Payne just before the break and as the ex-Barcelona stopper caught a second-half cross.
Guardiola insisted he was pleased with Bravo’s display, although Caballero is expected to retain his Premier League place at Sunderland this weekend.
‘Ask the fans, please. The performance from Claudio was amazing,’ said Guardiola. ‘He helped us in the build-up and reads which men are free. He gives us the continuity to play. I’m not here to judge the fans. He’s strong enough. He’s one of the best. This year he was nominated as one of the top five goalkeepers in the world.
‘I am delighted with him. I know I can count on him, with his behaviour when he is playing and now when he is not playing.
‘I just congratulated him on how he played at Huddersfield and how he played here. I’m pretty sure he’s coming back.’
Sergio Aguero scored twice to move on to 22 goals for the season and Guardiola was enthused by the Argentine’s willingness to chase lost causes. ‘It’s the best performance I’ve ever seen from Aguero,’ he said. ‘He’s good with the ball. He doesn’t miss the balls in the box.
‘He scored twice and created lots of chances. When he plays at that level he is unstoppable. He’ll help us to keep going until the end of the season.’
David Wagner, however, rued Huddersfield’s lack of gumption after taking the lead. ‘We showed too much respect,’ he said. ‘ The result was fair. We weren’t aggressive enough. We made too many easy mistakes when we had the ball.’