Pep Guardiola locks Man City players in dressing room after Tottenham defeat

Posted Monday, February 03, 2020 by Express.co.uk

Manchester City were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham in the Premier League, but the result was all their own doing after squandering a series of chances including a penalty.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola locked his players in the dressing room for around 45 minutes, following his side’s defeat at Tottenham. Goals from Steven Bergwijn and Heung-min Son did the damage, which means Liverpool are just six wins away from their first-ever Premier League title.

In truth, it was a match that City should never have lost.

They had plenty of chances in the first half, including a penalty from Ilkay Gundogan that was saved by Hugo Lloris.

Sergio Aguero also hit the post, before missing a sitter from just six yards.

They were made to pay after the interval when Oleksandr Zinchenko was shown a second yellow card.

Goals from Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-min done the damage, leaving Manchester City to lick their wounds.

After the game, Pep was keen to hold an inquest with his players do discuss where things wrong.

When Geoff Shreeves finally got to speak to him, Guardiola was relaxed about the way he addressed his players.

"I was talking with my staff, my wife, and some players,” he told Sky Sports.

He added: “I don’t have too many things to say about the performance.”

And when asked whether he was critical of his players, Pep responded: “Never, with this performance?

“How should I be critical of my players with this performance?

“With this performance it would be a incredible mistake to point to them and say how bad they are, it is not true.

“It’s not football, football is to create chances and concede few.

“To believe in this concept, you are closer to win the game. Few times this season it did happen and it happened.”

Pundit Graeme Souness believes City are paying the price for failing to build on last season’s success, citing their summer transfer business as substandard.

"You wouldn't have said that at the start of the season,” he told Sky Sports.

“You can trace this back to August and the Vincent Kompany situation.

"Did they know that was coming? They didn't know their best central defensive partnership and they went and bought another full back in Joao Cancelo.

"That's come back to haunt them as they've taken their mainstay out of the midfield Fernandinho, your best holding midfield player. That weakened the midfield and has caused a major issue.

"Sergio Aguero's goals are still there, but in the wider areas there's enough there even though Raheem Sterling has gone off the boil. In the centre of midfield, David Silva is going, Bernardo Silva comes in and Ilkay Gundogan's still there and they've got the best one of all in Kevin De Bruyne.

"They certainly need another centre half and will start to look long term at who will replace Sergio Aguero, but I don't see City as being a side that's in a crisis.

"Some of the football they played today was sensational. Right now, there's not a lot wrong with City."