MANCHESTER • Manager Pep Guardiola refused to press the panic button on Saturday after Manchester City slumped to a second defeat in three Premier League games to hand Liverpool an early Christmas present in the title race.
Crystal Palace came from behind to clinch an unlikely 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium which ended City's perfect home record in the league this season and saw them trail Liverpool by four points going into the festive period.
City had not lost any of their previous 52 league games against teams outside the traditional "Big Six", a run dating back nearly two years to a defeat at Everton in January 2017.
Guardiola defended his decision to start with key pair Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne on the bench while John Stones played in midfield in the absence of Fernandinho.
"Normally the selection, when we win I am a genius and, when they win, the selection is not good. I accept that role, but I don't know what would happen if Kevin or Sergio had started," said the Spaniard.
"Dinho is injured. Yesterday, he felt that problem, but John played so good (in midfield) at Leicester and I want to give another option for the long balls.
"They are a strong team in the air. We decided to put him there and he played good, except one ball.
"I admire and give credit to people who try to adapt to positions they are not used to."
City took the lead through Ilkay Gundogan, but Palace hit back with a Jeffrey Schlupp strike and a goal-of-the-season contender from Andros Townsend. The home supporters were stunned into silence when Kyle Walker rashly fouled Max Meyer and Luka Milivojevic stuck home the resulting penalty.
Guardiola admitted that he was not impressed with Walker's challenge but chose not to criticise him publicly, saying that he "will learn".
Last Christmas, City were able to relax in the comfort of a 13-point lead in the Premier League but, after two defeats in three games, the festive mood in the team will be tinged with a little anxiety this year.
City face a tricky Boxing Day fixture away to a Leicester team who on Saturday did what Guardiola's side could not manage - win at Stamford Bridge.
Then a trip to Southampton, revitalised with two wins under new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, awaits on Dec 30 before the crucial clash with Liverpool on Jan 3.
Injuries have certainly played a part in City's recent stumbles, but it is David Silva's absence which has hurt the team most.
The Spaniard has been sidelined with a hamstring injury he picked up in the loss to Chelsea on Dec 8 and, while he is back in training and should be ready to return before the Liverpool game, City missed him badly against Palace.
The zip to City's passing and movement, particularly in the space in front of the opposition penalty area, was missing with no one able to direct play with the urgency and precision that Silva provides.
Without him, wide players Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling did not receive the same quality of service and lone forward Gabriel Jesus saw few opportunities.
But Guardiola is confident that his team will bounce back from the mini slump. "We are in December and we will try and recover and try and win games again," he said. "There are a lot of games to play. We have to recover mentally and recover our physicality."
Palace manager Roy Hodgson attributed his side's first victory in 28 years at City's home ground to hard work.
"You don't produce that sort of performance by waving a magic wand or having a five-minute team talk - there's a lot of work that goes into that structure and we were excellent," he told the BBC.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Home » News » Sports » Messi's motivation spurs on Barcelona, says Rakitic. Messi's motivation spurs on Barcelona, says Rakitic. On April 30, 2019 11:59 pm In Sports by adekunle Comments.
Messi's motivation spurs on Barcelona, says Rakitic | Aaj News
PARIS (AFP) - Rangers crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday (Dec 13) after falling 1-0 at Rapid Vienna, while crowd trouble sparked by Eintracht Frankfurt fans marred the German side's win
Rangers out of Europa League, Eintracht fans run riot at Lazio
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham: We must fight for third place - Pochettino. Spurs needed to respond after the loss at Burnley on Saturday but this was a tired, uninspired performance that surely ends their
Where Chelsea can win or lose the top four - football.london
Lionel Messi, the current Ballon d'Or, saw the football world fall in love with him last season, but this year has left many speechless. His genius is so great that he has become a hero, and
Van Dijk, Messi & Ronaldo lead Champions League Team of the
Iker Casillas Suffers Heart Attack Scare But Says He Is 'Feeling Strong' Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas suffered "acute" heart attack during training at Porto but later tweeted about his well being from the hospital.
Porto keeper Iker Casillas says he is 'feeling strong' after
Rescuers said on Thursday they had ended the search for the plane carrying Premier League player Emiliano Sala which disappeared over the English Channel three days ago, adding the chances of
UK rescuers end search for missing plane carrying soccer
Football: Solskjaer has restored United's culture and
Home » News » Sports » Benzema saves Real Madrid blushes with late Huesca winner Benzema saves Real Madrid blushes with late Huesca winner On April 1, 2019 12:37 pm In Sports by Emmanuel Okogba
Karim Benzema saves Real Madrid blushes with late Huesca
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has said the club will trigger an extension clause in Toby Alderweireld's contract.. The Belgium defender will now be contracted to Spurs until the summer of
Tottenham to trigger Alderweireld one-year contract extension
Speaking ahead of Cardiff's trip to Arsenal on Tuesday, their first match since Sala's plane vanished, Warnock said it had been the most difficult week of his career and admits he had questioned whether he could even carry on doing his job. "You think 24 hours a day about whether to carry on," Warnock, told reporters. "It's impossible to sleep.
Soccer-Warnock says Sala tragedy is most difficult week of
Klopp takes responsibility for Liverpool's 'long dry spell' Date published: Monday 2nd April 2018 2:00 Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp takes some responsibility for the club's 'long dry spell
Magnificent Mane and Milner mask Salah's dry spell as
Top 5 Best 9mm Self-Defense Ammo for Concealed Carry Reviews 1 Magtech Ammunition 9 mm 115GR FMJ Ammo. This ammo's main objective is to make sure that people can access the best and cheap ammo for the 9mm concealed carry. The company has been making the best ammo for years now, so you can be sure that this one will be great.
Lpc Printing
Newcastle (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer joined Matt Busby in the Manchester United record books on Wednesday as his inspirational decision to bring on Romelu Lukaku as a substitute
Solskjaer extends perfect record as Man United beat Newcastle
Football: Home United claim Community Shield in 5-4 shoot-out win over Albirex Niigata Home United's Captain Izzdin Shafiq lifting the Singapore Premier League Community Shield at the Jalan
Football: Home United claim Community Shield in 5-4 shoot-out
0 comments:
Post a Comment