Thursday, April 6, 2017

PEP GUARDIOLA SAYS HIS SIDE DESERVED TO BEAT CHELSEA.


Manchester City boss Guardiola claimed his side deserved to beat Chelsea but saw them slip up again after also being held at Arsenal.

Guardiola said: "Today the Premier League has gone.

Now we have to think about qualifying for the Champions League and finishing in the top four.

"We face a battle to qualify for the Champions League. Tottenham is still there but for us the title has gone."

Guardiola insisted he was proud of their performance.

But Guardiola challenged his players to come back stronger next season and learn from their mistakes.

Guardiola said: "We created enough, more than them, to win the game. Of course the last five or 10 minutes the game was more open, but we pressed really well, high pressing, and won the ball many times. They scored and won.

“Absolutely (we deserved to win). But they got six points against us, and we got zero. Football is about results.

"But the way we played... I was happier today with the way we played compared to Arsenal, and we got a point less.

I don't want to see the way we played against Arsenal again.

"The onus is on us to go for the game so we can say we did absolutely everything, working to win it.

"We played against a team of Hazard, Diego Costa, Fabregas, Willian... Willian is not even in their first XI.

 But the way we played I'm so satisfied. I'm a lucky guy to be here with them.

"We found solutions. A very good performance. Today our performance was 1,000 miles better than the Arsenal game.

We're here to talk about that. I'd have liked to have taken one or three points, but hopefully next season we'll be stronger to do that.

“In the boxes they are better than us. Look at the game in Manchester: we had one or two actions where I don't understand what the referee did, KdB missed a chance up there, John Stones tonight.

"Today was controlled it a lot better, they didn't make too many counter-attacks. In my opinion, we were there. People cannot say we didn't try.

People cannot say we've had no chances. It was the quality in the end, though.”

Guardiola praised captain Vincent Kompany after his first start since mid November and said he came through well.

Guardiola added: "Vincent, when he's fit, is a top central defender.

But he's not been fit for two and a half years. Today was a good performance. It's not easy to defend against Diego Costa."

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