Pep Guardiola has expressed that Manchester City has “no chance” of winning the Premier League title, even though he felt a sense of “relief” after their long-awaited victory against Leicester City on Sunday. City ended a five-match winless streak with a tense 2-0 win at Leicester’s King Power Stadium, where the struggling home team actually had more possession and opportunities to score.
“It’s not enjoyable right now; it’s just relief,” Guardiola shared with Sky Sports after the match. “We’ve accomplished a lot over the years, but this isn’t our best moment.”
Although the win moved Manchester City up to fifth place in the Premier League, they are still 11 points behind the league leaders, Liverpool, before their next game against West Ham United later that day. Guardiola has stated that he does not expect his team to secure a fifth consecutive title this season.
“We can’t maintain our performance for the full 90 minutes, and today showed that again,” the 53-year-old coach told the BBC. “Now we need to clear our minds and focus on getting results. We know we are far from winning the Premier League. We accept that it’s unlikely, but there are other competitions to compete in, like the FA Cup, aiming for a top-four finish, and just winning games.”
Leicester, managed by Ruud van Nistelrooy, is currently in 18th place, battling against relegation. Despite admitting that his team was outplayed at times, Guardiola appreciated the determination shown by his players.
“They were better than us in the second half,” he recognized. “We can’t keep up our intensity and pressing for the entire match. Right now, we just can’t do it.”
He acknowledged the impact of a recent game against Manchester United, which he felt hurt the team’s confidence and made subsequent matches against Aston Villa and Everton challenging.
“This is only one match,” Guardiola mentioned. “We need to chase wins, and that’s part of the game. Most of the players showed they are ready to put up a fight.”
City will have a six-day break before facing West Ham at home in the new year.
Pep Guardiola: Man City’s title hopes over despite victory
Pep Guardiola has expressed that Manchester City has “no chance” of winning the Premier League title, even though he felt a sense of “relief” after their long-awaited victory against Leicester City on Sunday. City ended a five-match winless streak with a tense 2-0 win at Leicester’s King Power Stadium, where the struggling home team actually had more possession and opportunities to score.
“It’s not enjoyable right now; it’s just relief,” Guardiola shared with Sky Sports after the match. “We’ve accomplished a lot over the years, but this isn’t our best moment.”
Although the win moved Manchester City up to fifth place in the Premier League, they are still 11 points behind the league leaders, Liverpool, before their next game against West Ham United later that day. Guardiola has stated that he does not expect his team to secure a fifth consecutive title this season.
“We can’t maintain our performance for the full 90 minutes, and today showed that again,” the 53-year-old coach told the BBC. “Now we need to clear our minds and focus on getting results. We know we are far from winning the Premier League. We accept that it’s unlikely, but there are other competitions to compete in, like the FA Cup, aiming for a top-four finish, and just winning games.”
Leicester, managed by Ruud van Nistelrooy, is currently in 18th place, battling against relegation. Despite admitting that his team was outplayed at times, Guardiola appreciated the determination shown by his players.
“They were better than us in the second half,” he recognized. “We can’t keep up our intensity and pressing for the entire match. Right now, we just can’t do it.”
He acknowledged the impact of a recent game against Manchester United, which he felt hurt the team’s confidence and made subsequent matches against Aston Villa and Everton challenging.
“This is only one match,” Guardiola mentioned. “We need to chase wins, and that’s part of the game. Most of the players showed they are ready to put up a fight.”
City will have a six-day break before facing West Ham at home in the new year.
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