“We were patient with the ball and we maybe could have played a bit quicker sometimes but I was pretty pleased with all the boys”.
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Despite coming close to dropping points, a pragmatic Guardiola explained that the first game in any season is always tricky, and expects his side to improve with more game time together. I was training very well during the pre-season to have this opportunity.
Support from a manager like that is the type of thing the England man needs, especially given the stick he receives on social media and from opposition fans, and we may have seen the consequences of that support on Saturday. I never see one game from the next.
“We should have done better but you need some of those things to go for you”. And I decide today for this line up, that does not mean in the future they are not going to play or they are going to play.
But while Guardiola has not denied this is how he would like a goalkeeper to play, he insists Hart – who joined up for pre-season training later than others after worldwide duty – could still be his choice. We spoke during this week about what we had to do like a team and we did it.
Moyes, himself in charge of the Black Cats for the first time in a competitive fixture in their Premier League opener, told BT Sport: “I didn’t think we deserved it”.
He said: “I have no complaints about these names”.
He said: “There wasn’t much he could do about it. We’ve not hidden anything”.
However, the chances of taking a point from the Etihad Stadium were to be cruely taken away. When we have a game I just focus on this game.
Speaking to the Chronicle, he admitted the result was “gutwrenching” and explained that his side “did a great job in containing them as best we could”, because they “had a gameplan, we knew we weren’t going to have an very bad lot of the ball and we had just about done the job – but “just about” is not enough”.
Despite that warning shot he second half panned out in a similar fashion for the home side as they dominated possession with few clear sights of goal, although Aguero did flash one snapshot narrowly wide on the hour mark after a loose ball had fallen to him inside the area. I think we backed off too much and allowed the ball to be played across the six-yard box, which made it really hard whether it be a defender or a striker with a great chance of scoring a goal or an own goal. So I am really impressed with the quality of Sammy.
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“They’ve set the standard for effort and commitment and they’ll be getting it from me if they drop below that”.
