"Relief is the right word to use, more than happiness" - Pep Guardiola reacts after Manchester City's 2-0 win over Leicester
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reacted to the Cityzens winning 2-0 against Leicester City in their last league game of the year on December 29. The win at the King Power Stadium marked their first victory in six games across competitions.
Pep Guardiola's side have been shockingly poor this season largely because of injuries to decisive players like Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, and Ruben Dias. Prior to the game against Leicester City, they were groveling at seventh place in the league table with just 28 points in 18 games.
Goals from Savinho (21') and Erling Haaland (74') helped Guardiola's side register a crucial win in the last game of the year. After the match, the Spaniard opened up about his feelings which were more relief than jubilation.
"We need to win to clear our minds our souls and see ‘OK, we can win games.' I never thought it would be so difficult and maybe it’s a good thing. Relief is the right word to use, more than happiness. We have to improve a lot and the result will improve us. We’ll get back to our best, that’s for sure, and the result helps us a lot," he said. (via Daily Mail)
The 53-year-old also raved about Leicester City's gameplay, opining that the home side were better than them for a major chunk of the game.
"We all needed it. Hopefully, this will improve our mood. Leicester were much better for a lot of the game and we don’t have enough energy to sustain 90 minutes but in the new year hopefully, it will help us to bounce back a bit," he continued.
On the other hand, Leicester City remain in the relegation zone with the defeat against Manchester City. Ruud van Nistelrooy's side have now registered only one win in their last 10 games across all competitions.
"I always thought a run like this could happen" - Pep Guardiola elaborates on Manchester City's poor run of form
During the interview, Pep Guardiola also elaborated on the plummet in the team's form and the string of bad results that they sustained in the season. According to the Manchester City manager, he had expected a run like that at some point in his career.
Although he emphasized the unpredictability of football, he acknowledged that he didn't anticipate that there would be so many difficult games at a stretch. Manchester City have won just two of their last 14 games across competitions.
"I always thought a run like this could happen because football isn’t predictable, but even though I knew that I could never have expected there would be so many games that we’d be unable to win. It’s been an incredible learning experience and this win is just one game. We will see what happens in January," commented the Manchester City boss.
He concluded on an optimistic note:
"I know the last 13 or 14 games have not been good but we have to be so pleased and happy. We have done a lot of things that will be remembered forever. Maybe this period will make us realise how nice it was and hopefully we can come back."
Pep Guardiola has been one of the most successful managers in Manchester City's history. In his 8.5-year tenure, he has won the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, six Premier League titles, the UEFA Supercup, two English FA Cups, and many others.
However, his biggest achievement for Manchester City so far has been winning the coveted treble in the 2022-23 season.
