Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed a deep sense of “pride” following his team’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, despite the result extending their challenging run of form.
Villa opened the scoring in the 16th minute, thanks to a brilliant pass from Youri Tielemans that set Morgan Rogers through on goal. Rogers then squared the ball for Jhon Duran, who netted his third goal in as many matches. Villa doubled their lead midway through the second half when Rogers added his fifth goal of the season, leaving City with a mountain to climb.
Phil Foden pulled one back for City after capitalising on a slip from Villa’s Lucas Digne, but the visitors ran out of time to mount a full comeback. The defeat marked City’s sixth loss in their last eight matches, raising questions about their form.
Despite the disappointing result, Guardiola refused to blame his players, instead praising their effort. He said: “Thanks to some players today, the pride they showed on the pitch again. It happens since three months ago, nothing has changed. I have to deal with that. This is not an easy place to come, last season in the Premier League we didn’t win here.”
Guardiola emphasized the importance of reflecting on the positives, adding: “What I see them doing before and after, how they behave, and I feel pride. Thinking ‘let’s go, onto the next one’.”
The City boss reiterated that he would never criticize his players, stating: “I never point in nine years and never will point at players. It would be easy for me to say that and completely wrong. They tried, they want to do it, and we have to find a solution to create more chances and score goals.”
Erling Haaland, who has struggled for goals recently, was notably frustrated during the match. The striker has scored just once in his last six league appearances. However, Guardiola defended his star player, saying: “Without him (Haaland), we will be even worse. But I like how the players feel this way. This is our only chance we have to get better.”
Meanwhile, Villa manager Unai Emery suggested that City’s dip in confidence allowed Villa to claim their third win in four games. He said, “Progressively, the mentality and confidence [of City] was decreasing, and ours was increasing, which was fantastic. In the second half, we dominated and we scored. Manchester City are a little bit under the confidence they had normally.”
Emery praised his team’s defensive work throughout the match, acknowledging that City’s struggles were evident as the game progressed.
