PEP: YOU MUST DO BETTER
MANCHESTER CITY BOSS URGES PLAYERS TO IMPROVE AFTER LABOURING TO AWAY WIN
Pep Guardiola claimed his Manchester City team would need to improve after labouring to a 3-0 victory at Premier League bottom side Huddersfield.
The champions were far from their best but still proved too strong for the managerless Terriers at the John Smith’s Stadium on Sunday, winning with goals from Danilo, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane.
Victory cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table to four points and City have now scored 102 goals in all competitions this season, but Guardiola still expects more.
He said: “Today we are happy we have won but immediately we have to analyse what we have done and to win in the future we have to play good.
“During the season you have games when maybe you are not in the top level and it is important to win these games.
“All the teams have that but to arrive in the last stage of competitions our game will have to improve.”
Asked how he could expect his side to get better, Guardiola said in his postmatch press conference: “Our pace, more passes in a row - we were not able to make a lot of passes. Always in football when you play good you have the ball as much as possible.”
Danilo’s heavily deflected strike gave City an 18thminute lead but it was not until Sterling and Sane struck in quick succession early in the second half that the points were made safe.
Sane revealed Guardiola had demanded an increase in intensity during the interval.
The German winger said: “The second half everyone could definitely see we were quicker and better and in important positions and controlled the game. It is easier when you can play like that and you can push forward more.
“The boss said at halftime that we can’t play the way we were playing and that we had to get better.
“They were putting us under some pressure too and we know in the Premier League that a goal can come out of nowhere and at 1-1 it would be difficult. So he woke us up a bit to play our game quicker and better.”
The game was Huddersfield’s first since the departure of their popular manager David Wagner last Monday.