A 2-0 defeat to Juventus on Wednesday has left Manchester City’s hopes of progressing in the Champions League hanging by a thread, with Pep Guardiola’s side having won just one of their last 10 games
Pep Guardiola rejected Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan’s claim they need to play ‘simpler’ after the Premier League champions fell to a damaging 2-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League.
Dusan Vlahovic’s header and Weston McKennie’s volley in the second half secured all three points for the hosts. City meanwhile have won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions, with this their seventh loss during that awful spell.
It leaves Guardiola’s side 22nd in the Champions League table with just two games remaining – away to Paris St-Germain on 22 January and at home to Club Brugge a week later. The sides finishing ninth to 24th qualify for a two-legged play-off but Wednesday’s defeat leaves City just one point clear of PSG in 25th.
After the defeat, Gundogan claimed that City needed to change their tactics to get out of their rut. The German midfielder called on his side to simplify their playing style in the face of their poor form.
“It’s very disappointing. We had chances to score a few goals but at the moment it feels like every attack we concede is just so dangerous. I have a feeling sometimes we are a bit careless with duels,” he told TNT Sports.
“Instead of playing simple we overcomplicate things and we missed the right timing to release the ball. Just lose the ball and give them counter attacks. We are built for possession, keep the ball, be strong, if you can’t do anything don’t lose it. At the moment it’s not working out for us.”
Gundogan’s analysis caught Guardiola by surprise, with the City boss insisting his side had changed their tactics for the trip to Turin. Instead, he blamed their failure with the ‘last action’ as the cause of their downfall.
“No, no, we have done that today,” Guardiola told TNT Sports when asked about Gundogan’s comments. “Other days no but today we have done it. We have done it really, really well. We didn’t lose many balls that happened in the past, we tried and arrived in positions.
“But we know Italian teams defend so deep and so compact, it is not easy. They are a master of these kind of situations. But even with that we played who we are. The result is not there but the performance is.
“We play good, really, really good. We missed the last part, the last action. We concede a few of course some transition happened. But I’m so proud of these players, they give everything they tried and now we live in this period. Hopefully we can change and have a good result.
“I know it’s difficult, it’s always difficult in the Champions League. We play perfectly good. We have two games, we need one point maybe. We have to chase a victory. Our three games away were really tough. When we turn it around we will appreciate that period more.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Learn more
