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Despite Manchester City’s win against Sheffield United on Saturday, Pep Guardiola downplayed its significance in terms of increasing the pressure at the top of the Premier League.
Rodri and Julian Alvarez scored goals at the Etihad Stadium, helping the champions finish off a successful 2023 season with a 2-0 win against the struggling Blades. This year, the champions have won five trophies.
The outcome brought City within a two-point range of top-ranked Liverpool after a tiring month with nine games, including two in Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup.
This could be seen as a foreboding sign for the remaining competition, but City manager Guardiola refused to engage in such speculation.
Guardiola stated that past successes do not guarantee future outcomes. The focus should be on enjoying the upcoming new year and taking three days off, before focusing on the next game against Huddersfield.
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With the exception of a couple of matches, we outperformed our opponents but were unable to achieve the outcomes we deserved. However, in this industry, winning games is crucial.
“Today, we accomplished our goal and I am extremely proud of my team. It was a busy and challenging month.”
At first, Guardiola believed that City was not performing at their highest level, but he was content with how they were able to motivate themselves.
According to him, the first half lacked energy. The players’ body language was negative as they did not communicate, laugh, or show enthusiasm.
“It was necessary for me to participate in the football game, but it’s not possible to play football in that manner.”
“At the halftime break, I did not discuss any tactics for the first time. Instead, I sat down and told the team to go out with a positive attitude and to approach the game with a different energy, focusing on enjoying the experience. I emphasized that we cannot repeat the mistakes made against Crystal Palace.”
“In the latter half, the initial 15 minutes were our strongest.”
Guardiola praised the “amazing effort” of Jack Grealish, who was in the starting lineup for City despite facing challenges in the past few days due to a burglary at his residence.
Sheffield United’s loss resulted in them being ranked at the bottom of the table, however, manager Chris Wilder was able to find some positives in the determination and mindset of his players.
He commented, “It felt like we were on the field playing football for five hours. When you first walk out and see five trophies, it really hits you and reminds you of what you’re competing against.”
“We had a lack of Premier League experience, but we made up for it with our determination and strong character, which has been a source of joy for me since I joined the team.”
“It is exceptionally challenging to make it here, even for the most elite teams. However, we persevered and it was a valuable learning opportunity for our younger players. There are no negative consequences from this match.”
Unable to rephrase.
