The title hopes of Arsenal were boosted following Man City’s 4-2 win over Tottenham, as Guardiola’s words from prior to the game to after the game indicate a worrying reality for the Premier League title race between Arsenal and Man City.
His post-match comments against Tottenham served as potential motivation for Arsenal, revealing shortcomings that make Man City susceptible in the title race.
Programme notes written by Guardiola serve as tradition in English football and create reviews of what happened in the last game while previewing the upcoming test.
His notes before kick-off compared with his remarks after full time paint a startling picture to show why this match gives Arsenal more confidence to win the title.
Necessary fight failure
Following pre-match instructions from Guardiola to ‘fight for absolutely everything’, City failed to show the necessary fight that is required to defeat an Antonio Conte team.
Post-match, Guardiola expressed his frustrations at City’s lack of fight and suggested that because they had won countless trophies in recent years while Arsenal hadn’t lifted the Premier League title since 2004, the Gunners understandably showed more fight and desire.
He noted that with an exception of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, there was missing passion towards each ball, action corner and duel.
Arsenal would ‘destroy’ City
Guardiola was encouraged by City’s second-half performance against Manchester United and called for players to show more personality in their game, but warned that Arsenal would ‘destroy’ his team if they continued to play like “happy flowers”.
The quote caused a stir: “We’re a happy flowers team. Happy flowers… ah, it’s good. No, I don’t want to be a happy flower. I want to beat Arsenal. But if we play in that way, Arsenal will destroy us,” he said. Guardiola was adamant that his team need to change if they were to achieve anything this season and stated bluntly: “Arsenal will beat us.”
Loss Luck
Guardiola penned in the matchday programme that his team would continue to perform to the highest standards for as long as he’s in charge, yet after seeing their poor performance against Spurs he shared his genuine concern.
Recognising his team was far from its peak, he expressed dismay that this lacklustre play could have caused them a loss if they were fortunate. He then warned that they simply wouldn’t be able to compete or win anything by continuously stating their grievances and failing to close the gap with Arsenal if they keep playing this way.
Fans
Guardiola expressed his disappointment with the fans at the Etihad Stadium after they booed City off the pitch at half-time. He asked for their help to turn things around, noting that Manchester City needed them to be passionate and demand more from the players.
The manager was also frustrated by their lack of noise and called on them to support the team, stating that they need to “shout ‘come-on guys, I know how good you are. You have to show us!”
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
