‘Every time I lose, boom’: Guardiola offers feisty defence of City’s tactics

‘Every time I lose, boom’: Guardiola offers feisty defence of City’s tactics Manager speaks at length after defeat at Real Madrid Players must use ‘guts and nose’ to score, he adds Pep Guardiola launched a four-and-a-half-minute defence of his team selection in the 3-0 Champions League defeat by Real Madrid . Guardiola chose to play an attacking 4-2-2-2 formation at the Bernabéu stadium on Wednesday and the visitors were ultimately humbled by a Federico Valverde hat-trick to leave them on the brink of a European exit. “I had to explain it [team selection] before and after? After 10 years? I would not convince you one second, any one of you, anyone,” Guardiola said before City’s visit to West Ham on Saturday. “Why? Because we lost 3-0, destroyed, yeah it’s normal. It’s not personal, believe me, it’s all the managers. “It’s not the first time I played in that competition, the Champions League, 17 years playing in that competition, and every time I lose, boom, my God. Pew, pew, pew [users fingers to mimic firing bullets]. A lot. Is it new? No, it’s OK. The storm passed in one day, now West Ham, and prepare for [the second leg on] Tuesday. And if Tuesday we will be out, we’ll be: ‘Ohhhh, I have a lot of fans in the media’. Don’t worry. Supporters, a lot of fans, I have a lot, so it will happen. It’s OK, it’s fine. I have to do my job and my best, honestly. Knowing that if we win, it’s good, and if we lose it’s bad.” City had the majority of possession and 75% more touches in the opposition box than their opponents in Madrid but still drew a blank, with a number of crosses being wasted. “The players in the box have to make a movement before the pass, to smell where the ball will go,” said Guardiola. “You make a movement, beat your man before the ball [is played] and you will score. It’s guts and nose, that is the question for them – that is all.” Erling Haaland was partnered by Antoine Semenyo in attack in Madrid, a change from the Norwegian’s usual lone striking role. T...