Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has downplayed the 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Tuesday, adding that it was a more favourable result than a barren draw.
City dominated possessed for large parts of the game but struggled to create many chances as Sergio Aguero missed a penalty in the first half before Son Heung-min struck on the counter to give Spurs a memorable victory.
Guardiola insisted he was incredibly happy with City’s performance saying with the 1-0 defeat, they now ‘know exactly’ what they need to do come the second leg.
“We played an incredible game, we conceded absolutely few chances. We controlled the game, we made them run a lot. I don’t have the feeling we played bad, especially in the second half,” he said.
“Except a few chances at set-pieces and some counter-attacks we controlled the game. We are going to try, at home, with our fans, with our families. We would like to score a goal but the situation is what it is. When we are not good I say but I don’t have that feeling.
“Sometimes 1-0 is better than 0-0 as you know exactly what you need to do. Of course in football you analyse the result and that is not a good perspective for us. Maybe when I analyse the game I’ll change my mind but I feel we played well.”
Guardiola was also forced to answer questions about his team selection. Ilkay Gundogan was preferred over Kevin De Bruyne, and the Belgian did not enter the game until the 89th minute, alongside fellow substitute Leroy Sane.
He insisted: “I decide to play with two holding midfielders. I know it’s tough for De Bruyne.
“We have the second leg, we spoke about that. We have 180 minutes, we played to score but we couldn’t. It looks complicated but we will try.”
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