Pep Guardiola heads Manchester City after goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie gave Juventus a 2-0 Champions League win in Turin, extending the team’s nightmare run to a seventh defeat in 10 games. He said he was questioning himself as a person.
City face Paris Saint-Germain in the seventh match next month. They know that a loss could land them in the bottom eight of the Champions League table and see the club suffer the humiliation of being knocked out of the competition before the knockout stages.
Against Juventus, who had won just one of their previous six games in all competitions, City struggled to create a chance of victory, and with neighbors Manchester United at the Etihad in the Premier League on Sunday, Guardiola said he was starting to win. said. Ask yourself this question as his team lurches from one loss to the next.
“Of course (I am asking myself the question), I have my own thoughts,” Guardiola said. “I feel secure in the good times and the bad times. I try to find a way. I’m incredibly honest. If I play well, I play well.”
“The dressing room is stable. When you win you are happy, when you lose you are not. What should I do? I feel sorry for myself. No, I improve and move forward.”
“We have been in this situation several times this month. Let’s recover tomorrow, prepare for United with our people, insist on the good work we do and try to be better.”
Despite suffering the worst setback of his managerial career, Guardiola says he has not yet faced his biggest challenge.
“My biggest challenge is to get results that will allow me to continue working in my first season (at Barcelona). Sometimes in life you go through bad times. I will persist until we get there.” said.
City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said “confidence is a big part” of his team’s struggles, adding: “It’s also a mental issue.” But Guardiola dismissed Gundogan’s assessment and said his team could qualify for the next stage if they avoided defeat in Paris.
“I do not agree with what Ilkay said,” Guardiola said. “Of course it is difficult. Apart from one or two games during this period where we were not good, the rest were good performances.
“We were incredibly aggressive in the high press. It was a cross (for the first goal) and (Doosan) Vlahovic is strong in this position.”
“I don’t think it was a defensive mistake. We missed the last pass, we didn’t get into the six-yard box, we calmly created moments and had assists, but we are the best. I love our team.”
“(Preliminary) is the goal. We need one point, three points. We’ll go to Paris and do it, and the last game will be at home.”
