Pep Guardiola ‘slams’ Manchester City players after Crystal Palace draw
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola ‘slammed’ his players and said that his side cannot blame bad luck after their 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.
The Premier League champions were leading 2-0 at home against Crystal Palace after Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis gave City a comfortable lead.
However, City conceded two goals in the last 15 minutes as Jean-Philippe Mateta’s breakaway goal and Michael Olise’s 95th-minute penalty pegged Guardiola’s side at Etihad.
Moreover, this is the fourth time in the last six games that Man City have been held after leading. This draw has also left them 3 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
“It’s not bad luck, it’s deserved,” says Guardiola
Guardiola was not happy after his team gave away a 2-goal lead at home. He slammed his players in the press conference.
“It’s not bad luck, it’s deserved,” Guardiola said. “We gave away two points, but if you give away a penalty, you deserve it.”
The Spaniard also highlighted how they drew against Liverpool and Tottenham in their last two games at home and admitted that they are unable to close down games.
“Just like in the games against Tottenham [which ended 3-3] and Liverpool [when City drew 1-1], we were excellent,” Guardiola added. “But, again, we are not able to win.
“You saw the chances we created [compared] to the chances we conceded, and apart from the Chelsea game [that ended 4-4] it was quite similar to the rest of the season, but we are not able to close the game.
Are Manchester City out of the Premier League title race?
Man City have 34 points from their first 17 games this season, which is the least under Guardiola since he took charge in 2016.
Moreover, they will now travel to Saudi Arabia next week to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. They will be up against Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
Furthermore, if Liverpool win their next three games, the Citizens will be 12 points behind them by the time they play their next Premier League game.
Despite all the troubles, Guardiola is very much capable of reversing the situation that City are stuck in.
