LONDON • Pep Guardiola has denied Manchester City are lacking motivation in their bid to reel in Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The champions blew a golden opportunity to close the gap to one point in midweek when they slumped to a shock loss at Newcastle and they rued that even more the day after when the Reds dropped two points at home to Leicester.
At his pre-match press conference yesterday, Guardiola was in a defiant mood, claiming his players "would not be here" if they were not up for "the challenge".
He told reporters: "We are not happy about the last performance. We knew immediately at half-time and after, we know that.
"(But) that is the process many times when people say (we are) the perfect team and invincibles. Every game is a challenge to see what we can do better and how we can beat the opponents.
"All the results this week it was difficult for (Manchester) United and the teams in the top six to win their games. There are a lot of games and to sustain, it is tough."
Although he was comforted after the Liverpool draw, he warned his players if "their level was the last game, (then) it doesn't matter".
The 48-year-old also brushed off the controversy surrounding a now-deleted tweet from City defender Kyle Walker, who appeared to mock the league front runners following their slip-up at Anfield, saying he was "not concerned as I can't control it".
DENIS THE MENACE?
He has adapted very quickly and also his ambition, he wants to do something important here. It is a good challenge for him and for us.
UNAI EMERY, Arsenal manager, on new boy Denis Suarez who is on loan from Barcelona.
Turning his attention to their league game with Arsenal at the Etihad tomorrow, Guardiola felt Unai Emery's men "were a tough side", before singling out Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as their dangermen.
New loanee Denis Suarez will likely be given his debut against his former club given that Arsenal have "a lot of problems with wingers".
The Spain midfielder, who made only two appearances for City from 2011-13 before returning to his country, was the Gunners' sole signing in the January transfer window, which closed on Thursday evening.
Arsenal have the option to make his loan move from Barcelona permanent for £20 million (S$35.3 million) in the summer and Suarez knows impressing against City will go a long way to ensuring his future remains at the Emirates.
His manager Emery also backed the 25-year-old to win over naysayers like pundit Alan Smith, who has dismissed him as nothing more than a "squad player".
The former Arsenal striker told the Mirror: "How much will he play though? Arsenal fans would have loved to have seen a little bit more business in January."
But Emery defended their lack of activity in the market, insisting Suarez's qualities "can help us".
He said at his pre-game interview: "I know the player (the Spaniard coached him at Sevilla in the 2014-15 season). He started individual training yesterday and today, with the group.
"He has adapted very quickly and also his ambition, he wants to do something important here. It is a good challenge for him and for us."
Denying that Suarez's arrival meant there would be even less playing time for Mesut Ozil, Emery insisted there was "no change" in the squad's pecking order.
He also confirmed his side's defensive crisis had eased up slightly, with captain Laurent Koscielny back in full training and in contention to play against Guardiola's men.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
MAN CITY V ARSENAL
Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, Monday, 12.30am
Wolverhampton Wanderers reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1998 by beating last year's runners-up Manchester United 2-1 with a clinical second-half display in an intense
Jimenez, Jota slay United as Wolves reach FA Cup semis
HANOI (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Two die-hard Malaysian fans sold their prized Ultras Malaya memorabilia to fund their trip to Hanoi to watch the return leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final between
Football: Diehard Malaysian fans sell prized memorabilia to
Palace rout Leicester to step up pressure on Puel. Feb 23 - - Crystal Palace piled further pressure on Leicester City manager Claude Puel on Saturday with a comprehensive 4-1 Premier League win over his team, who have now gone seven games without a victory.
Palace rout Leicester to step up pressure on Puel - Reuters
Aberdeen: A joint Women's World Cup bid by North and South Korea is being talked up by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. "I have been hearing for the Women's World Cup in 2023, the two Koreas
Infantino suggests joint Korean bid for 2023 Women's World
Feb 25, 2017 · Tottenham may not be ready to win trophies, says Mauricio Pochettino This article is more than 2 years old • 'It's like the stadium: we need to wait, to build the foundations'
Pochettino wants titles next for Tottenham - sillyseason.com
NYTimes.com Site Map. For a comprehensive guide to our site, please see the Site Index.
Subscribe to Read Articles from February 1978 Part 3 - Site
Atletico Madrid took a huge advantage in their heavyweight Champions League last-16 tie with Juventus, earning a 2-0 home win thanks to late goals from Uruguayan defenders Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin in a tense, incident-packed game on Wednesday.
La Liga Review: Wins for top three | Sporting News Australia
Man City's Sterling treated differently by British media, says Pogba - Football News Scorenga UK (news.scorenga.co.uk) submitted 2 months ago by budlyanski.
Man City's Sterling treated differently by British media
Ole Gunnar Solskjær admits #MUFC were nowhere near their best despite beating Watford today. Ole Gunnar Solskjær admits #MUFC were nowhere near their best despite beating Watford today. More
Unted Vs Watford | Solskjaer Begins Reign With A Win Against
Football: Chelsea sweat on Kante fitness for Europa League
Football: Liverpool's TV income may top record £250 million after Champions League victory. The previous record was held by Liverpool and Real Madrid at £222.6 million in the 2017/2018
Football: Liverpool's TV income may top record £250 million
allmysportsnews.com/soccer/football-liverpools-tv-income-may-top-record-250-million-after-champions-league-victory/
LONDON (BLOOMBERG) - Liverpool's victory over Tottenham Hotspur to take the Champions League title on Saturday (June 1) will let the club make another claim: It'll become the first global football team to bring in more than £250 million (S$433.7 million) in a season from broadcast income.
Liverpool TV Income May Top Record 250 Million Pounds After Win
0 comments:
Post a Comment