Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola says teams have changed tactics because they no longer fear him, making their Champions League campaign more difficult.
City have dropped to 25th place in the Champions League table. Two points away from a playoff spotAnd Guardiola has noticed an increase in opposition teams adopting a man-marking approach, showing they don’t fear City as much as before.
“Everyone has come to Etihad and gone back,” he told a press conference on Friday.
“The first team I saw man-marking was Neil Warnock at Cardiff. Now everybody does it. Everybody comes here, it doesn’t matter, man-to-man.
“They just jump in [City’s goalkeepers] Ederson or Stefan Ortega. You have to adapt, you have to be better with the ball, otherwise you won’t qualify for the Champions League.”
Guardiola said his team may have been defeated by that Paris Saint Germain A 4-2 loss on WednesdayTheir problem was more with effective use of the ball than physicality.
“Pace is important, but against PSG we ran more than they did,” he said. “Our problem is with the ball. That’s what we’ve lacked this season.
“When you have the ball and you don’t pass it properly to your partner, everything is very difficult.”
He emphasized the importance of accurate passing, saying there is room for improvement despite the arrival of new talent.
Signed by City Egypt ahead Omar Marmouse from Eintracht Frankfurt After bringing in the 19-year-old Brazilian defender on Wednesday Victor Reyes And Uzbekistan the defender Abdukodyr Khusanov.
Guardiola believes Champions League qualification will be as important an achievement as winning the trophy, especially with injuries to key players. Rodri And a depleted defense.
City’s position is fifth Premier League12 points behind the leaders LiverpoolAs they prepare to host the fourth-placed Chelsea Two points behind the London club on Saturday.
Despite their struggles, Guardiola is focused on making tactical adjustments to regain their competitive edge and return to the Champions League with a top four finish.
