2025-10-28 11:38:32

Pep Guardiola is still “satisfied” with Manchester City’s performance in their loss to Aston Villa.

The Blues were bested 1-0 by the Lions in their Premier League game on Sunday (26.10.25), and despite the defeat being their third of the season, manager Guardiola isn’t too worried about City’s future.

When Sky Sports asked him what he had learnt from the match, the 54-year-old head coach said: “That we are a really good team who played a really good game. We started a really good game. In general, we were much better in the second half, but in the end we could not score.

“They link really well inside, they play four up front, they track you in high positions, and after they link behind, they have the ability to keep that ball, it is not easy and when you cannot win those duels it’s more difficult.

“In the first half the pressing wasn’t good, in the second half it was better. We were not aggressive enough.”

Guardiola also addressed Villa left-back Lucas Digne’s, 32, tackle on Matheus Nunes, 27, in the buildup to the corner that produced the goal, though the City manager stopped short of criticising the officials.

He said: “It was a corner. A good corner and a goal. Listen, it doesn’t matter. We can talk about this reaction. Listen, in 10 years already here I respect the referees too much. It was a corner, and we should’ve defended that. You cannot complain about actions from five minutes before.

“We had the chances to score, we couldn’t do it. We will improve.

“I am satisfied. We played really well in the Premier League mainly, and we’re getting better. We will learn from that. It’s a long journey, we will try to be close at the end.”

Even so, City captain Bernardo Silva, 31, thinks the tackle should have given City a free kick, but insisted that was not the reason the Blues were beaten.

He said: “It’s a minor decision, it’s not like a penalty or a red card that changed the game. The reality is it should’ve been a foul.

“It wasn’t, and they scored from the corner. That was a bit frustrating for us, but it’s football. These small things are not that important.”

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