Pep Guardiola acknowledged that it was his responsibility to find a solution to Manchester City’s current struggles after experiencing a fourth consecutive defeat for the first time in his managerial career. Substitutes João Pedro and Matt O’Riley scored to complete a remarkable comeback for Brighton, after Erling Haaland had initially given City the lead in the first half. Guardiola’s team was previously defeated 2-1 by Bournemouth, eliminated from the EFL Cup by Tottenham, and suffered a 4-1 loss in the Champions League against Sporting in Lisbon. Despite recognizing that his injury-plagued squad needed time to “clear their heads” during the international break, the City manager expressed confidence that his team could recover from their recent setbacks.
“It always happens one time in your lifetime, right? Always there is a first time,” Guardiola said, referring to the record that dates back to his first managerial position at Barcelona in 2006. “We have to change it and get back to winning. We are in the position that we are in and hopefully when we get the players back I don’t have any doubts that we will be back. This is my challenge – our challenge – and I’d like to face it. I will not step back at all. More than ever I want to do it. So we will try again. We must clear our heads and the players come back fit – this is the target.”
When asked if the recent poor results signaled the end of City’s era of dominance, Guardiola highlighted the number of injuries his squad has faced, including giving 19-year-old defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey his Premier League debut. “It’s what we want – to not be finished,” he said. “It’s what the people want because we won a lot, it happens. But I would like to have all the squad to fight and if someone [beats City] then congratulations. Not to give it away because we are not there.
“I had that feeling that we cannot do it every three or four days with the situation that we have. The era is going to come [to an end] for sure – in the next 55 years, City is not going to win the Premier League every year. But I would like us to try and if we can play like we did in the first half then we have a chance.” Fabian Hürzeler expressed his delight with Brighton’s turnaround, moving them into fourth place. “Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world and Pep Guardiola is one of the best coaches,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to be happy, proud and gain self‑confidence. But it’s so important to also stay humble.”
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