Before his team’s Premier League trip to Kenilworth Road, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he accepts the pressure and expectations that come with the position. This weekend, watch Luton vs. Man City live on Sky Sports Super Sunday starting at 1pm, with kickoff at 2pm.
Pep Guardiola acknowledges that some people will see Manchester City’s failure to win the Premier League this season as a failure and believes his team is the victims of their own success.
The treble champions of last season have lost their last four Premier League games for the first time since 2017 after drawing their next three games against Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham before losing at Aston Villa on Wednesday.
With a win away against Luton, live on Sky Sports, they can close the gap on league leaders Liverpool to four points, but given City’s dismal recent performance, winning the Premier League title suddenly appears unlikely.
Guardiola said to Sky Sports, “Managers are the bosses; they are the main person and they have to find the solution.”
“You cannot do the work, you cannot do the job, if you do not want to embrace the job, where you have to share the credit in the major moments and triumphs and take responsibility in the terrible moments. Everything must be accepted as normal.
“I approach it like the opponent deserves it too, because they have a good manager and good players and they can win too. That’s how I handle adversity after a defeat.” It’s common to experience negative moments or outcomes occasionally.”
Guardiola stated in response to a rumour circulating in print media that City is going through a transition: “I would say my teams are not given time to change.
“It was a tragedy in my first season here when we were winless! Why? People were reading about Pep’s inability to adjust with his teams here.
“And now that we have won the Premier League, we have fulfilled our obligation. If we don’t, it will be a huge defeat for us and a huge victory for them. The truth is that nothing will happen if another side doesn’t win the Premier League; our standards are that high.”
Guardiola: Perhaps we should take on the challenge of losing games.
Guardiola thinks that in order to enhance long-term outcomes, City would be better served taking on the challenge of going without a win despite their current slide in form.
“I occasionally need that challenge since I’m a manager. I believe that the lifestyle we lead in the club is beneficial to all of us. In his press conference prior to kickoff, he stated, “I believe it’s essential to live that.”
“It was about how good we are, like a cat [being stroked], for a very long period. And perhaps we should declare it to be awful. Everything is lovely, but we are now unable to win any games.
“Maybe I need that challenge for myself first, to show that I’m a capable manager before I can encourage the players and hope they can get through that. Saying that Aston Villa was much superior to all of us presents a fantastic challenge for the players.
“We can remark, ‘Aston Villa, you’re better than us; just think about how good the others are.'” The team, as a whole, can also declare, “We might not make it to the Champions League next year.” We must put in a lot of work.
“And given everything that has transpired over the past few years, I believe we need it.
“The club will remain open; nothing will change. We will return the following season, even if it is a poor one.
“Nevertheless, we still have a lot of games to play in December and haven’t yet completed the first leg. There’s the Champions League [knockout] competition. We play Huddersfield at home in the FA Cup. We must accept the many wonderful things that are occurring. We’re saying, “Let’s embrace it,” in a cheerful and upbeat manner.
“I need the club, and we need it. I said, “The club needs a shake, and bad results can help you to lift that,” a few weeks or perhaps months ago.
This weekend, start at 1pm on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday to see Luton vs. Man City, with kickoff at 2pm. If you have a NOW TV pass, you can stream the game as well.
