Pep forgives Aguero for THAT bad miss!
SERGIO Aguero explained his horror miss to Pep Guardiola, but enjoyed the last laugh against Chelsea.
City were 1-0 in the opening 10 minutes when Bernardo Silva squared the ball across the goalmouth beyond the Chelsea goalkeeper and into Aguero’s path.
To the amazement of everybody inside the stadium, the Argentine put the ball wide and he had to show his working to an incredulous manager.
“He said to me that he saw Kepa coming quick to close the space,” said Guardiola. “And he wanted [to be] more precise, close to the post and then he missed it. I told him ‘don’t do it again!’ but after, his reaction was a little bit better.”
Aguero went on to score his second hat-trick in eight days, blasting a first before scoring an opportunistic second and netting the third from the penalty spot in the second half.
Guardiola agreed with the suggestion that this was one of the best team performances of his tenure at the Etihad, and said that he had simply thanked the players for their effort in what turned into a stunning 6-0 win against one of the best teams in the league.
“If you analyse the performance today, after tough games against Arsenal and Everton, playing the way we play with the intensity and the desire to find the spaces to attack in the right moment, the players were outstanding,” he said.
“I said to them that I just have to say thank you to them for what they have done.”
Meanwhile, Guardiola brushed off the fact Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri appeared to snub him at the final whistle, racing down the tunnel without shaking the hand of the City boss.
Chelsea assistant Gianfranco Zola spoke with Guardiola at the end of the game, while Sarri shared a glass of wine with him after all media commitments had been fulfilled.
Sarri could not offer any assurances about his future, saying that his job was “always at risk” and preferring to talk about the problems of his side defending and conceding “stupid” goals.
The result leaves Sarri’s job at risk, but Guardiola defended him.
He said: “I know what he wants to do, I think this kind of person, these type of games always help to make our football better.
“They beat us at Stamford Bridge and against Napoli last season it was tight.
“People don’t understand how difficult the first year can be.
“My first season here was difficult. In my first year we could not play in the way I wanted.
“People think if you buy players, you can immediately come in and win, but you need time. It just depends on the belief of the owners – if the people really believe in that.”
“The main reason I decided to come to City is because the bosses and especially the chairman Txiki [Begiristain] know me.
“When the situation is not going well, we try to find a solution. He doesn’t believe I’m bad when we lose and good when we win.
“That’s why I’m enjoying this period here in Manchester with this club.”