Man City are ‘weak and vulnerable’ but Guardiola defends team after defeat to Feyenoord | Football News

The Man City manager admits his side are “unstable” defensively after conceding three goals in 15 minutes in the Champions League.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted his side’s defensive deficiencies, describing them as “weak and vulnerable” after the English Premier League champions conceded a 3-3 in the final 15 minutes of their UEFA Champions League game against Feyenoord. 0 lead was lost and the game ended with a 0:3 lead with a 3:3 result.

Tuesday’s draw ended City’s five-game losing streak but did little to boost confidence ahead of Sunday’s daunting trip to Liverpool.

City’s players were booed by their own fans as jeers rang out across the stadium after the final whistle.

It is the first time since 1989 that City have failed to win a game by three goals, and the first time ever that this has happened in the final 15 minutes of a Champions League game.

“We concede a lot of goals because we are not stable,” said Guardiola. “We give them the first one and the others and that’s why it’s difficult.”

Erling Haaland had scored twice either side of Ilkay Gündogan’s deflected shot to put City in the lead at the Etihad Stadium.

“We have lost a lot of games recently. “We are vulnerable and of course we need a win,” Guardiola added.

Guardiola’s men have won just two of their first five Champions League games, meaning they still have a lot of work to do in the upcoming away games at Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.

City sit 15th in the 36-team table with eight points, one ahead of Feyenoord in 20th.

Liverpool already have an eight-point lead over City at the top of the Premier League and Guardiola had previously admitted that an 11-point gap would be too big to overcome, even for a team with a record four consecutive English league titles won.

1 – For the first time in the 942nd game of his coaching career, Pep Guardiola saw his team unable to win a game after being three goals ahead. Remarkable. pic.twitter.com/1Ehm11ax8D

– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 26, 2024

“Rest for a day or two, clear your head and think about the next (game),” Guardiola said when asked how he would react.

But amid the worst defeats of his career, Guardiola is more determined than ever to stick to his plan.

“What should I change?” he asked. “We will not change our beliefs. We strongly believe in the process and fundamentals that we must meet.

“At this moment we must pursue our principles more directly. Don’t change much – less than ever before.”