Pep: Leicester punished us

PEP GUARDIOLA returns to Leicester today, admitting last season’s drubbing was one of his worst moments at Manchester City.

Guardiola has not forgotten that chastening 4-2 defeat last December when City were 3-0 down at the King Power Stadium after 20 minutes because they could not handle the Foxes’ direct style.

“Yeah, for the tackles!” said the City boss ruefully. “Yeah, I remember that. It was one of the lowest points. It was not easy and after five minutes we were 2-0 down, especially because Leicester are so complicated a team with runs in behind with Vardy, Okazaki, Gray, Mahrez.

“They played the way they did when they were champions with Claudio Ranieri. They play compact and every mistake you make, they punish you.”

Guardiola was pilloried in the wake of City’s defensive horror show for admitting he did not make his players practise tackling. He insists that is still the case because he does not see tackling as essential to his style of play.

“When you go down in a tackle, you are in trouble,” said the Catalan. “Try to focus on playing better with the ball and you will avoid a lot of tackles.

“But the reality is we didn’t lose at Leicester because we didn’t tackle. We lost because Leicester were better.

“I don’t know that you have to spend time practising tackles. I don’t spend my time practising tackles.”

Guardiola has transformed City in the 11 months since that loss left them fourth in the table, seven points adrift of eventual champions Chelsea.

His unbeaten Blues have surged eight points clear of the trailing pack this season and are red-hot favourites to be champions.

Yet Guardiola insists they can still improve and warned his players that they will fail if they slacken off.

“It’s impossible to be perfect, but it is to be better,” he said. “We analyse to do better. The moment they don’t believe they can be better, then that’s the moment we crash, fall down.”