Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has opined that his team did not apply themselves early enough in their draw with Chelsea.
The Cityzns hosted the Blues last Saturday in a Premier League game that could have seen them put pressure on Liverpool at the top of the table. City have played 24 games when other teams have played 25 and were just five points shy of the top of the league.
The draw means they are not four points shy of the top of the league with a game in hand, which, if they win, will bring them one point shy of the top of the league. They could have been outright league leaders but for Raheem Sterling’s 42nd-minute goal and Chelsea’s incredible defence which saw them only come out of that clash with a point.
Rodri scored in the 83rd minute to help City win that point but before that, his teammates – particularly Erling Haaland – missed a lot of chances to equal the score and even take the lead. In the end, City are behind Arsenal in the title race but could still go ahead of the Gunners into second should they win their game in hand on Tuesday.
Speaking on the outcome of their meeting with Chelsea, Guardiola believes that his team dropped the ball and allowed the Blues to pick it up and hold on to it for much of the game, which resulted in the 1 -1 scoreline they finished with.
“Well, we don’t perform our level in the first half,” Guardiola reflected. “When you play against teams who have composure and prestige like Chelsea you have to perform at our best for 94, 95 minutes.
“We started to play after conceding a goal. We were not at our best and it can happen in transition. When you aren’t at your best you concede transitions. It happens. But after, we react like we are. And we created a lot, a lot, a lot.
“They have one or two transitions for their quality and ability to keep the ball with incredibly good runners up front. The result is that. We have to perform better in the first half. We have to go there.
“As a team [and] as a group, the first half was not like we are.”
Guardiola then spoke on the heavy burden of expectation that his team has to deal with, as a 1 – 1 result for City is not seen in the same light for Chelsea.
“The demand is so high because no-one is going to give us [anything]. We have to do everything,” Guardiola asserted. “Always [it has] happened in the previous seasons and in this season it’s going to happen. We are Man City so we have to do it for ourselves.
“All the time, always. From day one I said that. I expect we have to improve the first half. We have to improve.
“Second half was unbelievable. How we played and going to make transitions because it happened but in general it was really good.”
