Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted he felt “a bit guilty” after seeing his side held to a goalless draw by Southampton at a packed Etihad.
Guardiola had angered some fans with his midweek rallying cry calling for fans to fill the ground for Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash, the Spaniard suggesting his players would need the extra support after their tiring Champions League win over RB Leipzig in midweek.
Some fans interpreted the manager’s plea as a questioning of their loyalty but they responded, with the stadium close to capacity for the stalemate against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men.
He said: “Always when the game is not good I feel bad for them. They come to see a show, to see a game and when it doesn’t happen I feel a bit guilty because we didn’t play good.”
Guardiola’s comments about supporters on Wednesday sparked a heated debate about attendances at the Etihad Stadium and upset some fans.
He insisted on Friday that had never been his intention and he reiterated that stance after the Southampton game.
He said: “I didn’t say anything wrong after Leipzig. I said we had an incredibly tough game, had an incredibly tough game against Southampton and we would need the support of our fans.
“I never complained about how many come or don’t come. I have never thought this in my life. I don’t know why people are asking me this question. I am grateful even if 85 or 100 people come.”
In terms of the game itself, City were perhaps as tired as Guardiola suggested they would be.
They did not muster a shot on target until the 90th minute and escaped a big scare when referee Jon Moss overturned decisions to award Southampton a penalty and send off Kyle Walker after a VAR review.
Guardiola claimed he did not see the Walker incident but admitted his side, who did have a last-gasp Raheem Sterling winner ruled out for offside by VAR, were not on song.
He said: “We were not good in our build-up. We lost simple balls in our process because we were not clever and a little bit sloppy.
“That is why I have to compliment Southampton. We move forward.”
