“We arrived many times in the box with one against one and you have to try to finish the situation with a goal or corner or shot, but it’s just one month together so we have time to get better”.
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Aguero, who missed two penalties in City’s 5-0 Champions League playoff victory at Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday, opened the scoring from the spot in the 27th minute after Ryan Shawcross had impeded Nicolas Otamendi.
The hosts, however, pulled one back when Stoke’s Bojan Krkic converted the game’s second penalty three minutes into the second half. The games have come thick and fast and that’s what I’ve come here for.
Ominously for City’s title rivals, Guardiola believes his stars still have room for improvement and, asked what pleased him about the display, the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona coach said: “Everything”. But the rest, we saw again fantastic team spirit, how they communicate with each other, how they celebrate the goals, after the game with the fans.
Pep Guardiola is surprised at just how quickly his Manchester City side have gelled after they maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 4-1 victory at Stoke City.
Nolito was in the right place at the right time – and it should not be overlooked that many of his team-mates were not before the Spaniard entered the fray – to add a double of his own and put the result beyond any doubt. That’s the first step. That penalty award shook us because at that point I thought we were playing well.
Stoke’s only response was a second half penalty from Bojan.
The talking points from the fixture centred around the awarding of two penalties by referee Mike Dean for either side which may have been allowed to slide in previous campaigns.
‘I heard the new rules, but we defend zonal marking, ‘ Guardiola said.
“How can I be happy with this?”, said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp. “If I complain, the players think I am looking for an alibi”.
Rocked by manager Steve Bruce’s pre-season resignation and a lack of new signings, last season’s Championship play-off winners nevertheless defeated champions Leicester City last week and they are up to third after Shaun Maloney netted in the 79th minute and Abel Hernandez struck in stoppage time.
“We know the directives”. In my experience usually there is a purge for three or four weeks and everyone reverts to type. “That’s fine, as long as it’s consistent right from now and the end of the season”.
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They nearly got back into the game in the final quarter hour when Long glanced a header just wide before Tadic blazed wide late on.
