Pep Guardiola singles out two unsung Man City players amid Erling Haaland frustration
To chase down Arsenal in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola urged more members of his squad to match the performance of Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis.
The Manchester City manager was enraged after his team’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham, labeling the players and the entire club as “happy flowers” who have lost their will to win.
Guardiola stated that he was attempting to elicit a response by going public with his thoughts as he elaborated on what he desires more of from the team.
Erling Haaland was not following instructions in the first half, which contributed to City’s lack of offensive threat, according to Guardiola, who did not exempt any superstar from his criticism. However, Guardiola has identified the teenager Lewis and the defender Ake as currently indispensable to the team.
“It’s not about the way we play. Are you going to judge the quality of the players?” he said. “I love them. They are all fantastic players but there are the details.
“It comes from the success we had in the past. People say it’s not success because you don’t win the Champions League. Bull****. We won a lot. In this country two back-to-backs and the way we played, the consistency against this Liverpool? What a success.
“But we have to look ourselves, it is not enough. I said to Erling – runners, you cannot drop because runners. One run before half time. One. The quality is there. That’s why we bought it. I want to help you but the quality is go there. One. I want more.
“I want more for everyone. It’s not about performing well or not. It’s no complaining. Tell me [about] Nathan, against [Dejan] Kulusevski – what a player. [Against Mo] Salah in the Carabao Cup. 10 duels and he won nine. It’s not in the highlights but without Nathan right now we cannot play good.
“Rico Lewis. 18 years old. Why play him over him or him? Look at the Carabao Cup game against Chelsea; Carabao Cup against Liverpool; in Leeds, the team most aggressive in the Premier League, they don’t give you two seconds in small spaces; Chelsea second half, he arrived and after one minute he changed the game.
“Why? Because he wants to live in the world, have a better contract and win Premier Leagues he has never won. That is what everyone needs to come back with because we need everyone. Today we played good but we don’t have it. In football it is not just about playing good or bad, it is about something that is inside all of us.
Pep Guardiola singles out two unsung Man City players amid Erling Haaland frustration
