MY ACCOUNT
Pep Guardiola claims Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Burnley worried him more than the showdown with Liverpool this weekend.
The Reds briefly overtook the Citizens at the top of the Premier League after beating Watford 2-0 in the early kick-off, meaning the pressure was on to deliver a result at Turf Moor.
With a raft of players only returning from international shortly before the encounter, the Spaniard admitted he was unsure with how they would perform against the strugglers.
But they duly responded as first-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan handed them a comfortable victory to reclaim their one-point lead.
After the victory, the 51-year-old said: “I was a little bit concerned about this game. Honestly, with all respect, more than the Liverpool game. I know against Liverpool how our people and our players will be.
“But here after the international break, to come back, just one training session together. Riyad [Mahrez] is sad after [missing World Cup qualification]. Riyad, if he qualified, maybe he would have played.
“Ten days off, you never know. That is why I am more than pleased for the victory and to continue the fight against Liverpool.”
City spent much of the game in control of the Clarets after Gundogan put them 2-0 up after just 25 minutes — a goal which saw the midfielder become the Premier League’s highest-scoring German player ever.
The 31-year-old’s well-taken side-footed volley was his 34th in England’s top flight since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, surpassing previous leader Mesut Ozil for the accolade.
Guardiola said of Saturday’s stand-in captainr: “Wow! He’s an exceptional human being first. So intelligent, you can talk with him about everything, and it’s nice to have players like him.
“I’m so glad and happy he could make this record.”
Live with the pressure
City are facing a crucial set of fixtures as they continue to fight in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
They travel to Atletico Madrid the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final cash tomorrow before a potential title decider against the Reds on Sunday.
They then welcome Atleti for the second leg next week before an FA Cup semi-final against Jurgen Klopp’s men at Wembley.
With the important games coming thick and fast, Guardiola has urged his players to learn to “live” with the pressure during their pursuit of an unprecedented Treble for the club.
He added: “We have to feel the pressure that every game we play we can’t lose. If we lose we can’t win.
“We have to feel the pressure. We have to concentrate on Champions League, then have five days to prepare for Liverpool.
“Feel the pressure, live it and handle it or else we won’t be champions.”
