WHEN Pep Guardiola goes to great lengths to praise a City performance, that means it probably hasn't been the best performance.
Guardiola uses wins to voice criticisms of his side, never willing to look like he is making excuses for dropped points. The 'Happy Flowers' rant of January 2023 was a perfect opportunity to unpick everything that was wrong in Guardiola's mind City had won, but from 2-0 down. Last season, Bernardo Silva admitted that he wouldn't have called the FA's scheduling 'unacceptable' if City had lost their FA Cup semi-final rather than won it.
The same works the other way. If Guardiola says he likes a performance over and over again in his media interviews, he's almost certainly said something different in the dressing room.
The Blues surprised themselves before the international break with how well they were playing. Three wins from three in the Premier League and a Community Shield win on penalties over Manchester United. They were still welcoming players back, but Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne were on fire and the likes of Rico Lewis, Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol were performing to a high standard.
The results have continued after the break. Three points against Brentford and one against a very good Inter Milan side to open the Champions League league phase. But the results only tell half the story.
Guardiola broke with his pattern by admitting Brentford were better than City on Saturday, but stopped short of criticising his side's performance, only offering that they were 'lucky. It was a similar picture on Wednesday night City looked off, again vulnerable to the counter attacks through the middle, and not quite sure how to break down the low block at the other end.
ãã®èšäºã¯ Manchester Evening News ã® September 20, 2024 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Manchester Evening News ã® September 20, 2024 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
GUARDIOLA TAKES AIM AT ENGLAND OVER CITY'S GREALISH
PEP Guardiola threw City into a row with the FA by brutally unpicking interim England coach Lee Carsley's claims about Jack Grealish.
GOLDEN DUO IN LINE FOR TOP AWARD
SALFORD PAIR IN RUNNING FOR GOLDEN BOOT AWARD
Lawrence ready for Suaalii battle
OLLIE Lawrence admits he is stepping into the unknown when he takes on Australia's rugby league superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii at Allianz Stadium today.
âCrocodile Beefyâ in rescue mission
CRICKET legend lan Botham was rescued by his former Ashes rival Merv Hughes after falling into crocodile-infested waters while fishing.
Honours for officers murdered by Cregan
FATHERS OF PCs ACCEPT FIRST ELIZABETH EMBLEM AWARDS
Good nutrition fuels brainâ, head declar
THE foundations for lifelong healthy living are laid at school, a passionate headteacher says.
Kate to attend two events to honour fallen
THE Princess of Wales is to attend both the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall this weekend, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Trio charged in connection with Payne's death
THREE people have been charged in connection with the death of former One Direction star Liam Payne as Argentine authorities ruled out third party involvement in his fall.
Five hurt in violence
ISRAELI football fans have been attacked after a match in Amsterdam, with five people admitted to hospital and 62 arrested, Dutch police said.
Residents to have a say on stadium plans
CONSULTATION TO HEAR COMMUNITY VIEWS IS UNDER WAY