Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, after the match against Real Madrid, spoke in detail to the press about the team's starting lineup, the game plan, and the reasons for the 0-3 defeat. From the Spanish specialist's words, one thing was clearly felt: he wasn't entirely dissatisfied with the game's content, but the result hit hard, and he didn't hide the fact that opportunities were significantly limited before the second leg.
"No big change"
Guardiola first answered questions about the starting lineup. He emphasized that this time, not much has changed. There was more rotation in the match against Newcastle, and in this game, most of the players who have been playing in recent matches have regained confidence.
"No, there hasn't been much change. There were more changes in the game against Newcastle. Most of these players have played in recent matches," Guardiola said.
The plan was to exert pressure through the wings
Pep said he wanted to use the wings aggressively in this game, especially in one-on-one situations. He particularly praised Jeremy Dock's performance: It was said that Dock was very dangerous, "crossing" the wing several times and reaching the goal line. However, City struggled a bit on the right wing. Therefore, he noted that he tried to make a reverse move through Antoine Semeno and Nico O'Reilly.
"I wanted to play aggressively on the wings, especially in one-on-one situations. Jeremy Dock played brilliantly. We struggled a bit on the right wing. We tried to move backward, and we did this with Antoine Semeno and Nico O'Reilly," Guardiola said.
According to Guardiola, the team attacked, searched for a goal, tried to "open" the game. But in the first half, Real Madrid scored three goals - this was the turning point of the match.
"We went to the end, but we couldn't hit"
The coach mentioned one aspect painfully: "City went too far into the final part of the attack - it's even like a dream," he said. But the most important point was missing: the decisive shot, the final decision, a precise shot that would force Courtois to make a serious save.
He emphasized that Real Madrid didn't create many chances after the first goal, but every time they came, they showed results: the second arrival was the second goal, the third arrival was the third goal. Pep called it "very difficult" and praised the quality and effectiveness of the opponent.
At the same time, he said that Real Madrid later changed tactics: they played with five defenders, making the center tight, and all 11 players returned to defense. He emphasized that in such a situation, counterattacks are always dangerous.
"We have attacked many times, we wanted to score. However, they had three chances in the first half, scoring three goals. And we went very far to the last part of the offensive. So they changed tactics, started playing with five players in defense, and made the center very tight," Guardiola said.
About the quarterfinals: "The chances aren't high, but we'll try"
Guardiola realistically assessed the team's chances of advancing to the next stage: the chances aren't high yet. But he said they wouldn't give up the fight anyway: "we'll try," he said.
"I think the game wasn't bad, it went quite well. I don't know how many times we reached the goal line through Jeremy Doku's single moves. We created many opportunities in long passes and second balls, especially through Antoine Semeno and Nico O'Reilly. There were situations where three or four of our players were in the penalty area, but we couldn't even give Thibaut Courtois a chance to make a serious save."
Restore now and next games
According to Pep, the most important thing for the team now is mental and physical recovery. Because there's a match against West Ham in London ahead, and the Premier League battle isn't over yet. Then there's the return match at "Etixad."
He said that fans fill "Etixad," and in football, everything is never predictable: maybe the team will find a solution, maybe they will find the right way against the opponent.
"The most important thing now is a little mental and physical recovery. Then there's a game against West Ham in London, which won't be easy either. In the Premier League, however, we are still struggling.
We'll see what happens after that. Our fans will definitely come to Etihad. And in football, you can never predict anything for sure - maybe we'll find a solution or understand how to play against them."
"3:0 - better than 4:0, but still harder"
Guardiola also said the harsh and honest thing: a 3-0 defeat is better than 4:0, but it's still a difficult result, it can't be avoided. His general conclusion was this: the game seemed better in terms of content than the result, but the score is the same.
In short, Pep saw some positive aspects in the game: wing kicks, second balls, penalty kicks. However, Real Madrid's effectiveness and City's problem with the last shot made the result sharp. And now there's a week left - and the next big evening at "Ethihad."
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
