After bowing out of the Club World Cup against Al-Hilal SFC, Pep Guardiola reflected on Manchester City’s performance. The manager calls for a break before focusing on the new season.
Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, stated this Monday following their elimination in the Club World Cup round of 16 against Al-Hilal SFC, that now “it’s time to rest” for the new season.
“We allowed them to create transitions but we created a lot and in general we were good. It’s a pity. We were in such a good place and I cannot say thank you enough to the staff, how they train and prepare, they have given everything”, said Guardiola in the press conference after the match at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
“I have the feeling that the team is doing well but we go home and now time to rest and refresh our mind and come back next season.”
A brace from Marcos Leonardo and goals from Malcom, formerly of Barcelona, and Kalidou Koulibaly resulted in a big upset in the Club World Cup. Manchester City, one of the favorites due to their quality of play, bow out of the tournament after a frenetic match in which Al-Hilal SFC gave everything and secured a historic victory.
“I saw many good things that I didn’t see in the past, especially how we were, the relations between the players and the staff. I felt we were happy here and the sessions were really good but the levels here are so high.
“The chances we had, they defended so deep and Bono made a lot of saves but you have to score and be so clinical.”