Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City can still improve defensively, despite putting six goals past Southampton at Etihad Stadium on Sunday night.
“Being the coach of the players is a happy thing because they follow the way we ask for the game. During the training, I tell them why they are playing in some way. For the staff, Not only is it fun, it’s also a pleasure.” Guardiola said.
“Mikel Arteta] Manchester City Assistant will stick to a lot of things, everyone will help the boys get better. If we are here at the end of the journey, the players are better than When we arrived, it was even better. That shows that we have played a role.” Guardiola continued.
The Spaniard described City’s 6-1 win over Southampton as one of his happiest days at club and he believes both teams want to win and there’s a lot more space.
“After losing the ball, we gave opponents too many opportunities in corner kicks and positioning the ball. They have the best players in the Premier League to handle corner kicks. It is always dangerous, but my performance and finality for the team.” Guardiola said.
“The results were satisfactory. The players sent me a signal that our performance was not stable enough in some positions. When the score was 3-1, they caused us trouble, their cross was always dangerous, we were in control There was a problem with the long pass, and the last minute goal of the first half made the second half easier.
“I think Southampton can score more goals. But at the same time, we can also score more goals. We are very smart in the final space processing, it is not easy. Southampton never gave up, I really admire Hughes and his players, they have more opportunities than the opponents we met this season.” Guardiola added.
City needed 96th minute winner from Raheem Sterling to beat Southampton on Sunday night but the only similarity was that England forward was again the biggest thorn in their side.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola happy with Southampton win. (Source:www.mfcwatch.com)
“Raheem [Sterling] is a top player. He is very young, he is incredible, his sharpness, speed, cleverness, Fighting spirit, ambition and decisiveness are impressive.” Guardiola said.
“He can play two sideways and be qualified for the middle position… Why is his progress so big? Because he uses his brain to play. In the first season, when the ball reaches the penalty area, He is a little scared, he will see who the ball should be passed to.
“I talked to him about this. I told him to score, to be aggressive. If you missed the opportunity, it doesn’t matter. I think he likes goals and assists now. It’s very important. He is a success player, he is very important to us, he is very stable, and very focused.” Guardiola added.
