“I prefer them disappointed” – Pep Guardiola welcomes regret over Real Madrid first leg from his players | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted he welcomes the disappointment felt by his players rather than a dismissive acceptance of their midweek defeat against Real Madrid in Spain.

Federico Valverde‘s stunning first-half hat-trick inflicted a heavy blow on City’s hopes of progressing to the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, with the Blues now requiring a miraculous comeback at the Etihad Stadium next week to keep their European campaign alive.

City skipper Bernardo Silva was among those to react immediately after the defeat, admitting that “it feels really dark” following the final whistle in the Spanish capital.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to West Ham, Guardiola addressed how his squad had processed the defeat and was emphatic in his preference for a pained reaction over a relaxed one.

How has Pep Guardiola said his squad reacted to the Real Madrid defeat?

The Manchester City boss was asked how his players had responded to a joint-heaviest UEFA Champions League defeat of his tenure at the club and offered a characteristically forthright answer.

“Of course, disappointed,” Guardiola said. “I prefer disappointed and don’t like the people laughing or being calm. Of course, the result is difficult for the second leg, but it’s move on.

“So yesterday (on Thursday), we travelled (from Madrid to Manchester) together, today we will be, we’ll talk and prepare West Ham, West Ham, West Ham and next Madrid and after Arsenal, the (Carabao Cup) final and it’s our life.

“We have to accept that, that you can lose three-nil. So, it happened, but I see the things that what we thought, I liked it.”

The remarks underline Guardiola’s determination to redirect focus swiftly while simultaneously using the weight of disappointment as motivational fuel ahead of what is an extraordinarily congested fixture schedule.

City face West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday evening before hosting Real Madrid in the second leg at the Etihad on Tuesday, with the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal to follow in the weeks ahead.

What is the wider context for Manchester City after the Real Madrid defeat?

Despite the gravity of a three-goal deficit in Europe, Guardiola’s assessment of Wednesday night was not entirely negative. City did press with purpose in the opening stages at the Bernabeu and created openings, only to be punished with ruthless efficiency by Valverde on the counter.

Gianluigi Donnarumma also saved a Vinicius Jr. penalty to limit the damage, keeping the deficit at three as the Blues maintained at least a theoretical foothold ahead of the return leg.

City Xtra‘s Five Things Learned from the Spanish capital noted that City’s underlying performance was not without merit, even if the scoreline told a brutal story.

Guardiola’s reference to “the things that what we thought, I liked it” appears to be a nod to that – an acknowledgement that certain aspects of the tactical approach were sound, even if the outcome was not. City’s attention now turns, in Guardiola’s own words, to West Ham and then Madrid again.

The Blues currently sit second in the Premier League, seven points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand and Guardiola has made no secret of the importance of Saturday’s trip to the London Stadium. It is a sentiment his players, if Guardiola has his way, will be carrying with them.