Guardiola admits Arsenal loss was his fault
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted that his game plan was wrong in the 0-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal earlier this month.
Gabriel Martinelli’s last-minute goal at the Emirates Stadium gave the Gunners all three points and a slight edge over Manchester City. The win ended Arsenal’s 12-game losing streak against City and kept their unbeaten start to the league campaign intact.
Pep Guardiola’s side were far from their best in North London, with a limited attack. In the absence of Kevin De Bruyne and Rodney, prolific goalscorer Elin Harland ended the game with zero expected goals.
Manchester City responded to the loss with two wins to move level on points with Mikel Arteta’s side. Treble-winning side Manchester City closed the gap on league leaders Tottenham Hotspur to two points with a 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ellyn Harland’s second and Phil Foden’s penalty made it a successful afternoon for City. In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Guardiola asked for his thoughts on his team’s reaction to the loss to Arsenal. He said.
« Arsenal won because they are a great team. I would say that my tactics were bad.
« We played differently because I thought the space would be in different positions and after that I said it was bad but it happened. The players know the Premier League is tough. It was important for Brighton to break their losing streak and the way we played against the young boys after this game helped us a lot ».
Manchester City’s thrashing of Manchester United earned them more support to win the league title in May. Jamie Carragher has praised Pep Guardiola’s side for their excellent performance at Old Trafford. Asked if they were favorites to win the title, he said, « Yes, of course:
« Yes, of course. I don’t think there is any doubt about that.
« I think the problem with City is that they’re a bit like I was against Gary (Neville) and Roy (Keane) back in the day, and even though United haven’t topped the table at this stage, they’re almost ready for the next game. In a way, it’s the second half of the season.
« Today was an important game, they put on a good show and showed everyone that they are still the team to beat. I think they will win the league easily, really.
« I don’t think Liverpool are ready for a tough challenge, Arsenal were obviously the same last season and although they’ve started well, I don’t think they’re as good as they were at this stage last season. I just think City will win.
