Manchester City scored six goals against Ipswich Town at Portman Road in round 22 of the Premier League. After the match, coach Pep Guardiola had some remarkable comments.
Man City confident again
Man City endured a disappointing run of results before Christmas, dropping to seventh and out of the title race. But the Citizens have responded with six games unbeaten since Boxing Day.
Man City beat Ipswich Town 6-0
The 6-0 win over Ipswich Town was their biggest win of the season, with star man Phil Foden calling it their best performance of the season. Guardiola said his players were starting to believe in themselves, although he did not confirm that City were back to their best.
Speaking to Sky Sports, coach Pep Guardiola said: “We are returning to the things that have shaped this team over the last 10 years.
“We are happy to have three points and to be in the Champions League qualification position for next season. It may not have been our best game, but we were more consistent. The things we lacked in previous games have started to come back.”
The Spaniard added: “The result is of course important. But what is more important is that the players realise who they used to be. We have not been the same for a long time, for many reasons.
Partly because of injuries, but not only that. Now we realise that if we play like this, we can compete and enjoy ourselves. Hopefully the players feel that. Admittedly, we have discussed a lot about what we are lacking.”
Ready for the big battle with PSG
Pep Guardiola highlighted the return of Ruben Dias and praised Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden for their roles in the impressive win. The 54-year-old even called De Bruyne’s recent form “extraordinary”.
Guardiola rested De Bruyne, Foden and Erling Haaland with half an hour left in the match against Ipswich Town as Man City prepare for an important away trip to Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in the Champions League.
Coach Guardiola is confident that Man City is gradually returning to its inherent strength.
Coach Guardiola affirmed: “After the score was 4-0 or 5-0, I prepared for the night in Paris. PSG played yesterday, we play today. We had to travel far and come back late to prepare for that “final”.
We have two decisive games. If we win both, we go through. If we win one, it’s a big chance, but we still have to get more points because we created problems for ourselves. Especially the draw with Feyenoord, and the loss to Sporting Lisbon. We had a lot of problems then. Hopefully this time Man City can continue their good form against PSG and the games after that.”