Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has defended his “amazing” players and said maybe he is not good enough for them.
City have lacked consistency since opening the season an impressive 10 wins on the bounce, and Guardiola seemed to accept defeat in the title race after last weekend’s 4-0 loss at Everton left them 10 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Their form has raised questions over the quality of Guardiola’s squad and whether he believes he has the right players, but the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has rubbished these claims and said that maybe, it’s him who is not good enough for his players, instead of the other way around.
He said: “They are good players. I have respect for the guys, so why would I say the guys are not good?
“So I don’t understand the lack of respect for the professionals when they have been amazing players, and [people saying] they are not good enough for me. Maybe I am not good enough for them.
“They are Manchester City players, top players. They have a lot of quality. They have shown that many times in the past and this season.”
One player who has come in for regular criticism is goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who Guardiola thought was a better option in between the Manchester City sticks than England number 1 Joe Hart – who was sent on loan to Torino.
The 33-year-old Chilean did not make a single save against Everton, as they put 4 past a stunned City side, but Guardiola feels he himself must shoulder some of the blame for that.
Guardiola has not settled on a regular defensive line this term, making numerous changes in terms of both players and formation – which suggests perhaps he is unsure of his best defensive options, even this far into the season.
Asked if this may have been an issue, Guardiola said: “Maybe, maybe. Yes, maybe. Yes, [I take] all the responsibility as a manager.
“I never in my life – never – say the reason why we lost is because of Claudio Bravo. It’s one of the reasons why, but there are many many other reasons why.
“Maybe the reason why is because we changed the defence – maybe – but we will never know that.”
One thing is for sure, Guardiola seems to be finding out that the Premier League is much different to managing Barcelona or Bayern Munich – and time will tell if he can cope with that in the long-term.
