Pep Guardiola has shrugged off scrutiny of Manchester City’s defensive tactics in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday by saying sarcastically that the approach was down to his team being “shit”.
City recorded 32.8% possession at the Emirates Stadium, the lowest any Guardiola side has registered in a league game. The manager provided a pithy reply when asked about his side’s lack of the ball in the buildup to their Carabao Cup third-round tie away to Huddersfield on Wednesday.
“When we defend deeper it is because the other [team] are better or we are shit,” Guardiola said. “I prefer us to regain the ball high up the pitch, [have] a lot of possession to disturb the structure of the opponents and try to punish them. It’s always been like that and always will be like that. If it doesn’t happen it is because we were bad, not because we want to [be defensive].
“When I started as a footballer under Johan Cruyff, when a team went man-to-man he would say: ‘Pep, when you have the ball as a holding midfielder, look at Romário, look up front,’ so why should we [City] go shorter if that guy is being marked and this guy is being marked? If you [the opposition] want to play one against one with Erling [Haaland] then play one against one. If you lose that duel, it will be a goal.” Haaland scored City’s goal against Arsenal after a stunning counterattacking surge.
Pressed further on how City set up at the weekend, Guardiola again provided a somewhat sarcastic response. “When we won the Premier League we were a boring team, right? So that’s why I said: ‘OK, I’m going to make more counterattacks this season,’” he said.
“Maybe the players in the future can talk about how much I’ve changed this season. You can ask them – I think it’s completely the same.”
He continued in the same vein with dismissive rhetorical questions. “For example, we changed the way we played against Napoli? Three days later we changed our way of playing? I changed absolutely everything in three days. I must be a really, really good manager.”
Guardiola will start James Trafford as the goalkeeper for City’s Carabao Cup trip to against Huddersfield, bringing the 22-year-old back in goal after he had been displaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Abdukodir Khusanov is out for three games because of a foot problem the 21-year-old defender sustained at Arsenal. Kalvin Phillips might have featured at Huddersfield but now will not do so because his partner is giving birth. “He’s in London because he will be a father for the second time,” Guardiola said.
Phillips, who signed from Leeds for £42m in July 2022, has managed 914 minutes in all competitions and Guardiola was asked why the former England midfielder’s career has stalled. “That’s a good question, maybe because I didn’t give enough minutes,” he said. “[Also] in that moment Rodri looks like our father in that time, protecting the other 10 sons [players].”
Haaland has a back strain but may be fit to face Burnley. “Hopefully he can play at the weekend,” Guardiola said.
