Pep Guardiola reveals why Manchester City fans should be positive about the future | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained why he feels there is reason to be positive about the future of the club, despite a defeat over the weekend.

The reigning Premier League champions succumbed to a 0-2 home loss to the expected top-flight winners for the ongoing season courtesy of goals from the ever-impressive Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Despite the defeat, Pep Guardiola was keen to insist upon his contentment at the performance, with his City side showing a much better ability to retain possession for longer periods of the match and attack with greater intensity, creating several clear-cut chances.

In fact, it was those sorts of traits that got Manchester City back to winning ways just days later, as they recorded a 0-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night to remain within the division’s top-four places.

Speaking in the aftermath of City’s latest defeat which came at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, Pep Guardiola was keen to highlight the positives of the performance and particularly the youthful nature of his fielded side.

“Both wingers were exceptional, Savinho and (Jeremy) Doku, all the young players… Except Kevin (De Bruyne) and Nathan (Ake) we were such a young team and they will be the future of this club,” Guardiola told reporters.

“I saw many things that this club has a bright future with the players that we have… What the club is going to decide in the next future, we have a bright future for the club in the next years.”

After a difficult season, in which Pep Guardiola has consistently insisted upon the importance of his side believing in his fundamentals, the City coach admitted he has started to see the return of his team in recent matches.

“I recognised my team in the last two games in the Premier League. (Against) Newcastle and Liverpool, we were brilliant in both,” he said.

“The pace today (against Liverpool), the rhythm, the pressing, the solidarity from most of them playing in difficult positions. I approve it, and it was really good.”

But there is plenty of work to do, as the 54-year-old said, “We’re far away (from Liverpool’s level), we’ll see in future.

“What we’ve done in previous seasons has been good, but now we’re away from them. We knew it. But the way we behaved and playing with the personality we played, it was really good.”

The performances against Liverpool and Tottenham will certainly give Manchester City fans plenty of hope that their campaign can end strongly, and that a UEFA Champions League place for the 2025/26 campaign can be secured.

There also remains the possibility of silverware too, with the FA Cup remaining a priority for the club having defeated Salford City in round three and Leyton Orient in round four, setting up a fifth round clash with Championship side Plymouth Argyle.