Guardiola: “Real Madrid had three chances and scored three goals…”

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola spoke to the media after his side were soundly beaten 3-0 by Real Madrid in the first leg of their Round of 16 at the Bernabéu.

He spoke first to Spanish broadcaster Movistar+:

On the performance: “The result is emphatic. There are still another 90 minutes to play. I have the feeling it wasn’t that bad. In the first half they had three chances and scored three goals. They’re always dangerous in transition. But we reached the byline many times, also in the second half. We were missing the final pass. They defended well, very collectively. We started well. Now it’s time to eat, rest and start lifting ourselves again.”

What was missing: “When you get to the byline and have four or five players in the box, it comes down to making a good pass. We had those moments. If we score, the mood changes… We were missing that final touch. Maybe when I watch it again later I won’t like it, but my feeling is the game wasn’t that bad.”

At least Madrid didn’t score the penalty… “With three goals it’s already difficult, imagine with four. But we’ll have our fans with us and we’ll see if we can surprise them.”

On Valverde: “He’s a fantastic player. He performs so many roles and scored very good goals.”

Guardiola press conference

Guardiola then spoke in the post-match press conference.

What happened? Did the team start a bit unsure? “3-0 is better than 4-0, of course. Sometimes it’s difficult to control transitions when we lose the ball and they connect quickly. If they can run, it’s complicated. But I think we played quite well. We got to the byline a lot with Doku, but we were missing something at the end. We didn’t defend the first goal well and with the quality they have, with Valverde… he finished perfectly. With our fans we’ll try again.”

What chances do you have of turning it around? “Not many. We’ll try, but we know the chances are quite difficult. It’s hard to detach yourself from the result, but we’ll try with our fans behind us. We can do better.”

On the substitutions and the game plan: “It was similar to the game against Newcastle. We wanted the feeling that we could score. They put five at the back and did it very well. It was hard to find space. We couldn’t get the goal we needed. What can you do? The objective was to have players close to the box, quick players.”

“Madrid deserved it. They have Güler, Vinicius, Valverde, Tchouaméni… it’s a team with a lot of quality. They stopped many of our transitions. In the second half we played much better. We created many actions to get a more positive result.”

Do you feel Madrid weren’t that impressive? “No. Our performance wasn’t so bad that it should end 3-0. Madrid’s? Well, if you win 3-0…”

What leaves the worst taste: the result, the lack of attacking play or the feeling of helplessness at the end? “I don’t feel helpless. We didn’t create chances where Courtois had to make saves. But how many times did we reach the six-yard box and just miss the final pass? When you do that it means the process was good. We don’t have the feeling Courtois had to put in a great performance. We were just missing that detail. If we had it, we would have scored.”

Could you have changed anything to stop Madrid’s transitions? “In the first 15 minutes it wasn’t about making changes. The goal came from the fourth long ball Courtois played to Valverde and we didn’t measure the distances properly. Madrid play well, they always have. This was my 50th game against Madrid as a player and a coach and it’s always the same… Even when you push them back and dominate them, they can still break out. My feeling is we weren’t that bad, but with this result that feeling doesn’t carry much weight.”

Did Arbeloa’s approach surprise you? “Yes. They played with five at the back and no fixed striker. We tried to push Rúben Dias and Guéhi higher up. Their goals came from good counterattacks and the individual quality of their players.”

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.