Spanish coach Pep Guardiola has sharply criticised Manchester City players, marking a significant shift from his previous stance, where he would take responsibility for the team’s defeats and disappointing results. These harsh words came after City’s resounding 5-1 loss to Arsenal, as the “Gunners” became only the second team to score five goals against Guardiola in the Premier League, which sparked the coach’s anger.Pep Guardiola blamed his players for the lacklustre performance.
The defeat became even more painful for City due to their inability to cope with Arsenal’s fast pace. The Manchester side seemed to struggle for offensive solutions, and their defence was exposed, unable to stop Arsenal’s continuous attacking waves.
This disappointing performance left Manchester City in a difficult position in the title race. It gave Arsenal a huge boost in morale and left City with many questions about their ability to continue competing at the same level.
Anger and fiery statements.. Pep Guardiola turns against Manchester City stars
Pep Guardiola didn’t hesitate to criticise his players publicly after the game. He described the performance, especially in the last third of the match, as “unacceptable”. He explained that the players had abandoned the team’s game plan and started looking for individual solutions, which led to the team’s collapse.
Pep Guardiola expressed his frustration, saying: “You can lose by two, three or even four goals, but in the last 30 minutes, we had no defence at all. We had a clear plan, but we didn’t stick to it because some players wanted to do things their own way. That’s not how it works.”
Guardiola elaborated further, as reported by manchestereveningnews, stating that sticking to the tactical approach is essential for maintaining stability. He emphasised that the team cannot attempt to solve issues through individual efforts in such situations.
He added: “At this level, you have to stick to what we always do. Unfortunately, what happened happened, but I hope we will learn from it for the future. You can face setbacks, but you always need to play the way we know. We can’t think that we can solve problems in a different way. That’s not our usual style.”
Guardiola also sent a strong message to his players, making it clear that they have a specific responsibility on the field. They must stick to the collective approach and avoid looking for individual solutions. He said: “Players may be under pressure, but they have a clear duty to do what is expected of them. They didn’t do that, and we must learn from our mistakes. There is always room for improvement.”
