International Football

“When we turn things around, we will not forget this period”: Pep Guardiola, After Manchester City’s 2-0 Loss to Juventus

Isaac Sanyaolu2 months ago2 months ago05 mins

Manchester City’s Champions League hopes suffered a significant setback as they were defeated 2-0 by Juventus in Turin. Goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie in the second half handed the hosts a crucial victory, but despite the loss, Pep Guardiola remained upbeat about his side’s performance and expressed pride in his players’ efforts.

Vlahovic broke the deadlock early in the second half, heading home a fine cross from Kenan Yildiz to put Juventus 1-0 up. McKennie sealed the win for the Bianconeri a quarter of an hour later, converting a well-executed counter-attack past City goalkeeper Ederson.

Guardiola, speaking after the match, acknowledged that while the result was disappointing, his team’s performance was far from lacking. “We played good. Really, really good. The performance is there,” Guardiola said. “We have done really, really well tonight. We didn’t lose many balls that had happened in the past and we tried, we arrived in the positions.”

The City manager reflected on the nature of the defeat, admitting that his side struggled to find the decisive pass in the final third but emphasizing the positives. “We missed the last pass, the last action. We conceded few; of course, some transitions happened. But I’m SO PROUD OF THESE PLAYERS! They give EVERYTHING and they TRY IT!”

Guardiola, who has long championed resilience and persistence in his teams, remained confident that his players would bounce back from the setback. “Now we live in this period, and hopefully, we can change the results!” he said. “WHEN we turn it around, we will NOT FORGET this period! We’ll APPRECIATE MORE what we have done in the past and what we’re GOING TO DO IN THE FUTURE!”

Manchester City now face a crucial series of matches in both the Champions League and the Premier League. Their next European clash will be against Paris Saint-Germain on January 22, a fixture that will have significant implications for both teams’ qualifications for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Guardiola’s side will also turn their attention to domestic matters, with league encounters against Manchester United, Aston Villa, and other top-flight sides awaiting them.

With the pressure mounting, Guardiola’s optimism and belief in his squad will be tested in the coming weeks. However, he remains confident that this challenging period will eventually lead to greater appreciation of their past achievements and future successes.

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