We played really well but allowed mistakes: Pep Guardiola after losing to Southampton
Jul 06, 2020
Southampton [UK], July 6 : Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola backed his side after 1-0 defeat against Southampton on Sunday, saying the club played "really well but allowed mistakes".
"It was a little bit our season. We played really well but allowed mistakes in our box and they punished us a lot," Goal.com quoted Guardiola as saying.
This was City's third consecutive defeat away from home in the Premier League. However, in their last game City thrashed title-winners Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Che Adams scored the only goal of the match for Southampton in the 16th minute. City failed to breach the Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy despite repetitive attacks.
"Afterwards, we created a lot and we could not score. It was a little bit today resuming what happened this season in the Premier League," the manager said.
"We must improve, but in terms of performance, in terms of the way we played, there's nothing to say. We attacked incredibly well and had 10 guys in the box. They scored a goal and they had one chance at the end, but no more than this. We played really, really well," he added.
Guardiola admitted that City has lost a lot of games this season because they failed to score despite being better than the opposite site.
"In general, I think we've played really well in most of the games. But when you have 20 shots and 10 players in the box, you have to score goals," he said.
"When one team has a lot of chances and they beat us and we don't create enough chances, it can happen. But it happened very few times in all competitions. We create a lot, but we struggle. In a few they do, they score a goal. We do a lot and we cannot score," the Spaniard added.
City will next face Newcastle United at home on Wednesday, July 8. City is placed second in the point stable, 23 points behind Liverpool with five games remaining.
