Pep Guardiola says Manchester City showed why they have been so successful with a charismatic performance against Newcastle on Saturday night. City had less than three days to prepare for the Saturday 8pm kick-off after the Super Cup trip to Greece, and lost John Stones to another injury on top of Kevin De Bruyne’s long-term lay-off, while Bernardo Silva was still out with illness. Ruben Dias did return to the defence, but the extent of City’s issues were clear in their youthful, inexperienced bench. Despite fitness issues showing towards the end, Guardiola didn’t make any changes in the 1-0 win. Before the game, Guardiola had said that his side were not at their best, and needed all the support they could get from their fans during the contest. With victory secured, Guardiola praised his side’s character and admitted that they continue to surprise him against all odds.
Pep Guardiola said: “This is the second game of the season but it is proof the reason why we won a lot. The mindset and mentality of this group of players, amazes me every time, surprises me every time. Against that team and the conditions we arrive, with a lot of injuries and no rest. They played really well, how they defend and how they run and the commitment of everyone was absolutely amazing.”
Continuing, Guardiola said that he was impressed with his players for ‘accepting the challenge’ of playing on Saturday evening after only returning from Greece on Thursday. With City defending three Premier League titles in a row, plus their European trophies, the manager said he saw the winning mentality that secured those titles on show this week.
Pep Guardiola said: “We played really good, we deserved to win, we could have scored more goals and against Newcastle, we saw it against Aston Villa. Last season and this season, the difference of the winner’s teams is the mentality. This group of players for many years they have done it and today. I know we are tired, I know we are not in the best condition and have five or six important players out but it is what it is. This is the challenge. The Premier League decide to play today. Okay, we accept the challenge. There are days that one manager is more pleased than the other because we could draw or lose. The way we behaved was extraordinary. We were ready today, now we have to be ready against Sheffield. Today you have doubts how the team will feel. Yesterday we arrive and I say ‘I am not ready, the team is not ready’. Just we were there to spend time. Today we, train in the morning, prepare the game as best as possible and they applied incredible because they have the right mentality to do it. All of them, start with Eddy and finish with Jack, they were outstanding.”
