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On Saturday, Manchester City tied with Chelsea in a disappointing 1-1 match, but Pep Guardiola did not fault Erling Haaland for missing opportunities.
Haaland, who is usually very productive, missed several chances during the game. One of the most obvious ones was a free header from six yards away. This resulted in the champions only managing a draw in an exciting match against their opponents at Etihad Stadium in the Premier League.
In the end, City relied on a goal from Rodri in the 83rd minute to tie the game and earn a point. This came after their ex-player Raheem Sterling scored in the 43rd minute, giving the London team a lead that was unexpected.
Guardiola, the manager of the city, stated that having nine shots is a positive and that there is potential for scoring in the future.
“I played football for 11 years and scored a total of 11 goals. What impressive statistics! That averages out to one goal per season. I am not qualified to offer advice to strikers.”
“We provide opportunities, he had opportunities and in the future he will score. I don’t hold him responsible. It’s a game of football, it involves human beings.”
Haaland appeared visibly agitated at the conclusion of the match and forcefully moved a television camera, but it has been a challenging week for the Norwegian player following the passing of his grandmother.
After Liverpool and Arsenal secured victories earlier in the day, City found themselves in third place on the table, trailing the top spot by four points.
Guardiola believed that City’s strong performance in the second half was overshadowed by their lackluster display in the first half, resulting in them paying the consequences.
Guardiola stated that the first half did not reflect the performance of the team as a whole.
The expectations are very high because we cannot rely on anyone else to achieve them. As Man City, we are responsible for taking care of everything ourselves.
“We needed to make improvements in the first half, but the second half was truly remarkable in terms of our gameplay and transitions.”
Overall, things went well after Raheem scored against us. However, when facing teams like Chelsea with composure and a strong reputation, it is necessary to play at our highest level for the entire 95 minutes.
We have not yet reached the same level as Man City, but that is our goal.
The season for Chelsea has been marked by ups and downs, but manager Mauricio Pochettino believed they displayed their true resilience against formidable opponents.
According to Pochettino, the coaching staff made a plan for the game but in the end, it was the players who executed it and showed great character. Football is ultimately a game that belongs to the players.
This game was crucial in maintaining our momentum and recognizing that we are making progress.
“We have yet to reach the level of Man City, but that is our goal.”
“We must engage in this type of game in order to grow and foster the necessary team mentality. Our performance in each match demonstrates our drive to be contenders.”
Source: independent.co.uk
