Guardiola Critiques City’s Performance Despite FA Cup Progression

omidbasir- Pep Guardiola characterized Manchester City’s routine FA Cup victory against Salford City on Saturday as “boring.”

City secured a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium, advancing to the fifth round after benefiting from an early own goal by Alfie Dorrington. Marc Guéhi sealed the victory with his first goal for the club late in the match.

When questioned about his satisfaction with the team’s performance, Guardiola responded, “No. We didn’t read the spaces where they were. The effectiveness of our attack depends on how they defend, and we failed to recognize that.”

He further commented, “That is why the game felt dull. The only positive is that we progress in the tournament. That’s all that matters.”

Guardiola made nine changes to his lineup, taking the opportunity to rotate his squad. With a rare week off before resuming their Premier League title challenge, the Spanish coach plans to grant his players a few days of rest. However, he refrained from attributing the team’s lackluster performance to fatigue.

“It would be easy for me to say we are exhausted mentally, that it has been a tough couple of weeks for various reasons,” Guardiola stated. “But it is our responsibility. The schedule mandates that we play every few days. We simply didn’t recognize the spaces, and as a result, the play was flat and slow, which was not ideal.”

One positive note for City was the return of England defender John Stones, who made his first appearance in over two months following recovery from a thigh injury.

“He’s back. He still requires time to regain his form; he’s not yet the John Stones we remember, but his body language was promising in terms of pressing and aggression,” Guardiola remarked. “It’s significant that he managed to play 65 minutes.”

Salford City, who faced an 8-0 defeat to Manchester City in this competition last season, can take pride in their resilient performance this time around. Their focus now shifts back to their promotion campaign in League Two.

Manager Karl Robinson reflected, “I mentioned prior to the match that this football club has improved year after year. We have invested considerable effort behind the scenes and felt that we arrived today with a stronger squad and a better club.”

He added, “I believe the players demonstrated that, and it’s crucial for us to use this experience. Last year, we could not leverage our performance, but this serves as a benchmark for us to progress. I dislike losing, but one must accept it. The manner of our loss today is a testament to the players’ efforts.”