GUARDIOLA STICKS TO HIS GUNS

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says latest setbacks experienced by his team – most recently the 4-2 mauling by Leicester City will not force him to change his on-pitch philosophy.


The Citizens are not having the best of times in this season’s league campaign as they have won only one game in their last five fixtures despite making an impressive start to the season that saw them sprint to the top of the EPL standings.

In a post match conference the coach was quoted saying:

“I cannot do something I don’t feel. You have to win immediately. If you don’t win, you will be in trouble and when you don’t win, there are many reasons.”

Saturday brought another reminder of the need for fans and soccer purists to back down a bit and lower the pedestal they might have placed the former Bayern Munich coach.

Just as it was made clear a week ago, Man City are easily unlocked by forceful fast-paced counter-attack minded oppositions. It is what led Chelsea to beating The Citizens at Etihad. It begs the question as to what more evidence one could get when the fact that Antonio Conte’s side scored from all three shots they had on target is taken into consideration.

Leicester City on Saturday, set out to play incisive, counter attacking football, the kind that is always made easier to pan out when your opponents are a team that habitually leave holes at the back all in thename of high pressing and never letting of the round object even in their adversary’s half.

Claudio Ranieri’s men had a singular plan, stuck to it and Pep Guardiola’s side played right into their trap. Two quick goals from Jamie Vardy and one from Andy King saw The Citizens trail by 3-0 within the first 20 minutes.

Record-breaking summer signing John Stones still managed to put his name up for trolling on social media as he gifted his fellow England team-mate Vardy a lovely assist to make it 4-0 for The Foxes.

Late consolation goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and former Celta man Nolito only served as nothing more than a pile of flesh on City’s publicly humiliated bony structure. It remains to be seen if Guardiola will budge.