EPL 2022-23: 'Tried something new, and it was horrible' - Guardiola on his tactics in City's 3-1 Arsenal win

By Ayush Gupta | First Published Feb 16, 2023, 12:22 PM IST

EPL 2022-23: Manchester City gave a tough time to Arsenal away from home and won 3-1, going atop the table. Meanwhile, City boss Pep Guardiola clarified that he was unhappy with his first-half tactics.

Defending champion Manchester City might be having a tough time off the field, having been charged with financial irregularity by the English Premier League (EPL). However, it has not led it to affect its on-field performance, as on Wednesday, it beat EPL rival Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in London, going atop the table momentarily, having played a fixture more.

While Kevin De Bruyne (24th) put the visitors ahead, Bukayo Saka's (42nd) penalty drew the hosts level before Jack Grealish (72nd) and Erling Braut Haaland (82nd) struck in the subsequent half to get the job done for the Cityzens. However, City head coach Pep Guardiola admitted that he was unhappy with his tactics in the opening half, forcing him to change them in the second.

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Gabbing to Amazon Prime, Guardiola noted, "The first half, they [Arsenal] were much better than us. The second, we were much, much better. We were not playing. We were defending because they were so good. In the first half, my tactics, I tried something new, and it was horrible."

"We adjusted in the second half, and we were more aggressive towards [Martin] Odegaard and controlled more of the ball. Erling used his power to keep the ball. We suffered in the first half, but in the second we were there, we were more aggressive, winning duels, and when that happens, we are a better team. We are built to go as a crazy team," added Guardiola.

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When asked about the title race, Guardiola commented, "Now we are top of the league, but they have one game in hand. We have a lot of games to play. Arsenal will be back. In three days, we have another one. Still many, many games to play for everyone, and we are no exception."

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