Pep Guardiola, coach of Manchester City, says his players are ecstatic to advance to the round of 16 in the FA Cup after a hard-fought victory over Arsenal. Last week Friday, City’s Nathan Ake scored in the second half to clinch a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The manager also believes that the victory will have little impact on the mid-February Premier League match at the Emirates, since he believes that both clubs will change their strategies and some players.
“My players are ecstatic,” declared Pep.
It is not the Premier League, but rather a different tournament. As a result of our victories over Chelsea and Arsenal in the first two rounds, we are pleased to be in the quarterfinals.
“Today will be entirely different at Emirates Stadium. Mikel is rarely substituted in the Premier League.
“The impact of Oleks and degaard will be different under increased strain; we are aware of this.
“We now have days till our next game. Time to relax a bit and prepare afresh for the championship match versus Spurs.
“Match by match. The FA Cup is a prestigious competition, and we are ecstatic to have won it, but they will forget this result when we play them.”
The manager elaborated on the strategies that resulted in a shrewd war. “It was a really close game. A tricky one. We knew it was due to their superior quality.
“The second half was superior save for the ten minutes following the goal. When Bernardo and Kyle entered, the performance improved significantly, as did Julian. I was unprepared for their approach, which made the procedure challenging.
“Stefan Ortega made a good pass, so we contacted Erling more than usual in the second half.”
“Now I know they can perform man-to-man marking when we visit that location. Martinelli is an astonishing weapon. degaard manipulates the pockets.
They would not be where they are if they did not have a great team. They are assertive and fully aware of their duties.
“They manage all the minor details really nicely. We needed to defend exceptionally well and do well in set pieces. We anticipated a challenging game, but we were able to defeat them and go to the next round.
“They noticed our capabilities. We saw their capabilities. Perhaps we should alter something, notably our selection of players.
“When playing man-to-man, Rico is not as vital as Kyle. Jack was a genius. It was a difficult game for Erling. We exerted every effort against a formidable opponent.
“Every manager tries to do positive things, but this game was wide open, and we needed movers in the midfield to attack the space.
“Julian is proficient defensively and offensively. His contribution to this game was outstanding.
“I am ecstatic because I am aware he can play with Erling.
“It was a good victory; we’ll see what happens in the next round.”
And on John Stones’ injury-related departure, Pep suggests it could be a hamstring problem, saying, “Today he was not ready. I noticed it within minutes.
Perhaps he was exhausted. He was not prepared, which can result in injury.” – http://www.mancity.co
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