Guardiola Optimistic Despite Manchester City's Continued Struggles

Manchester City endured a 2-0 loss to Juventus in the UEFA Champions League, with second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie extending the team's challenging run to just one win in their last ten matches. Despite the result, manager Pep Guardiola expressed optimism about the team's trajectory.

Guardiola commended his players' efforts, stating, 'We played really, really well. We did everything necessary to win, and the players performed admirably. Sometimes, matches unfold in ways that don't favor us.' He acknowledged issues in the final third, noting, 'Our final passes and decisions weren't optimal. We also allowed the opponent some chances, which is normal. But I am very proud of these players; they gave their all.'

Addressing the team's current form, Guardiola remarked, 'We are living through a period of poor results, but I hope we can achieve good outcomes soon. I know it's difficult; it's always challenging in the Champions League, but we played very well tonight. This performance showed me that we can emerge from this situation quickly.'

He also discussed the challenge of facing Juventus's defensive setup, stating, 'We worked very well, but against Italian teams that defend deeply and compactly, it's not easy. They are masters of these situations. Nevertheless, we remained true to ourselves; we lost the result, but our performance was good.'

Looking ahead, Guardiola emphasized the importance of upcoming matches, saying, 'Two games remain; perhaps we need one point, one victory, to be in the playoffs. We must change the situation with the last home game.' Reflecting on previous matches, he added, 'This situation is because of the game against Feyenoord and especially Inter Milan, where we played really well, and Feyenoord caused problems in the last 15 minutes.'