“I was shocked we win” “We don’t deserve to win this game” – Pep Guardiola reveals why Chelsea should have beaten Man City
Manchester City defeated Chelsea 2-0 to begin their fourth consecutive Premier League championship defense, with goals from Mateo Kovacic and Erling Haaland.
Pep Guardiola acknowledges that he’really didn’t expect’ Manchester City to defeat Chelsea in their Premier League opener on Sunday.
City, who have struggled mightily under Guardiola in recent seasons, triumphed 2-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Erling Haaland in the first half and an outstanding solo effort from Mateo Kovacic in the closing minutes. The defending champions, who are vying for their sixth straight league crown, got off to a strong start as rivals Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool all earned maximum points from their opening games.
Despite missing key midfielder Rodri while England internationals Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker started from the bench, City followed up last Saturday’s Community Shield win against United with a performance which left their manager pleasantly surprised.
“I really didn’t expect it, I know what these guys can do, but the first day and lack of training,” Guardiola told BBC Sport post-match. “Last season we could not win at Stamford Bridge so this is good news. The bad news is we still have 65, 70 games left. But it is good to start with a win for the confidence.
“Chelsea should have won this game through our lack of training”
“We try to prepare the game, we had two or three days to prepare, but we solved this lack of many things with our commitment. Everyone was at their maximum and this was enough.
“You cannot imagine how privileged and fortunate I am to live these experiences with this incredible group of players. They are all friends, their families are all with them most of the time. It’s unbelievable for me.”
Guardiola then challenged his players to keep up the good work, with City embarking on a gruelling campaign which could stretch all the way to mid-July when the final of the expanded Club World Cup takes place in the USA. “The bad news is we have 65 games ahead of us,” the City manager acknowledged.