“We are going to drop points”: Pep Guardiola not dwelling on Manchester City’s unbeaten start
Manchester [UK], September 16 (ANI): Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is not dwelling on his side’s flying start to the Premier League 2024/25 season.
Manchester City, which became the first team to win four consecutive Premier League titles, have begun their hunt for a fifth successive title on an unbeaten note.
Guardiola’s side extended its unbeaten streak to four following their 2-1 win over Brentford on Sunday.
However, the Spanish head coach is not dwelling on their unbeaten start to the season. He stated that at some point, the defending champions will drop points.
“It’s important we don’t drop points, it’s a good lesson. We were lucky with the deflection Erling scored. The players know it. That’s why, at halftime, I didn’t say anything,” Guardiola said, as quoted from the club’s official website.
“There will be a lot of surprises with this number of games, and one day we are going to drop points. With a really tough game, we survived, and with our mentality, we adjusted. We did really well with our process to find the right moments,” he added.
Manchester City stood on the verge of enduring their first defeat after Yoane Wissa found the back of the net in the opening minute. Guardiola’s side fought back and took a one-goal lead with Erling Haaland’s brace in the first half. The hosts defended their lead and maintained their win streak.
Manchester City will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign against Inter Milan on Wednesday night.
Unlike the previous season, teams will compete in a different format, the UEFA Champions League format. A total of 36 clubs from Europe’s premier football leagues will compete in a league phase, which replaces the traditional group stage.
Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents, with an equal split of home and away fixtures. Every match’s outcome will significantly impact the league table standings. The top eight teams will automatically advance to the UCL round of 16.
While giving his take on the new format, Guardiola said, “[I’ve] no opinion. They decide to do this. UEFA decides this. We want to be there, so we will play that format.
[There are] more games, but it is what it is. What can we do? On Wednesday, we play the best team in Italy, and then on Sunday, we play the best contender of the last two seasons.”
“Then Tuesday another game. We have an academy. We have to adapt. I like to play Champions League, so we are going to play,” he concluded.
