Manager Josep Guardiola called for more “courage” from his Manchester City side after beating West Ham 3-0, criticizing their lack of “positional courage”.
Against the Etihad, City took a 2-0 lead by half-time and were well on their way until the Hammers tried to fight back, creating three scoring chances early in the second half, all of which were wasted.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham side, who had zero xG in the first period and were unable to hit a single shot on target, let alone on target, piled up seven shots and two big chances after the break, with Guardiola saying his players “didn’t have enough courage” in possession.
City have won each of their last three Premier League games, keeping a clean sheet for the first time since 2021, and are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.
“We are not good with the ball,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “So we give up a lot because we’re not in the right place to draw the line and take the next step.
“Because the players don’t have the courage to act like that. But we’re very open, so we’ll improve on that. The group is great, so we’ll try to do it.”
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Man City vs. West Ham
“I can’t deny that I’m happy, but unless we improve our play with the ball, it won’t be enough to be a contender for the league title in March or April.
“I told the players, ‘Merry Christmas to everyone, but it’s not enough if we don’t improve.’
“In this position, we have to be courageous. We weren’t there. How many chances did they have in the first half? Zero, zero. But still we weren’t in the right place to create, we weren’t in the right place to be more solid. We didn’t do the right process to be more consistent. Gigi (Donnarumma) saved us.”
“If they follow me, we can get there, but we have to improve. I know the level of this league, I know Arsenal, I know how tough they are. That’s not enough. The spirit is there. But there’s a lot more we have to improve.”
This is not the first time Guardiola has criticized his country’s players after last week’s win. After Sunday’s 3-0 win against Crystal Palace, he labeled Phil Foden “not good” despite scoring his sixth goal in four Premier League games.
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Phil Foden extends Manchester City’s lead with a stunning finish against Crystal Palace
“He wasn’t playing at his best, so he lost a lot of balls. He was rushing into decisions and was very nervous,” the Manchester City manager said.
“He has to play, just hold the ball and link up with other players and at the right moments have this explosion that only he has in terms of goals and assists.
“But first he has to be more calm. He always wants to do well and help others. He doesn’t clarify the situation.”
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Rayan Cherki scores Manchester City’s opening goal with a powerful finish against Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at the Etihad Stadium.
And there was also criticism of Rayan Cherki’s role after Man City beat Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday. “I’ve never seen (Lionel) Messi do something like this,” Guardiola said. “Messi’s greatest characteristic is his simplicity.
“He does simple things perfectly. Ryan has a lot of talent, so he has to learn a lot of these things. But he’s so young.
“I want a player to do the simple things well. After that, if he has a special talent, he can do anything. But if he doesn’t do that, that’s a problem. He’s going to be in trouble.”
Is Pep’s pursuit of perfection realistic?
Etihad Airways’ Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter analyzes the following:
Arsenal have fallen from the top of the Premier League for the first time since September. But that’s not enough for perfectionist Pep. He was never a coach who tried to win by any means necessary. Performance matters.
The Gunners are certainly hotter with Man City scoring 18 points in the league and on a five-game winning streak, but Guardiola likes to dissect each game and there have been plenty of frustrations. He referred to Leeds’ result after the game and likened the situation after half-time to that game.
In late November, Manchester City conceded two goals to Leeds just after half-time and scored a late winner. In this situation, they conceded a chance, but were unable to score, requiring three saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Had he played against a better finisher, the result probably would have been different.
No one who has watched City this season particularly believes that Pep is finished. His demands for more control are probably justified, but the graph above shows just how little they actually conceded.
As the battle for the Christmas No. 1 reaches its climax, Pep’s post-match declaration seemed more than anything to send a message to Arsenal: “We will be better.” And keeping the players on the ground isn’t a bad thing either. They haven’t yet put together the perfect performance that Pep says, but they’re definitely getting close. Arsenal are well aware of this fact.
Nuno admits ‘concerns’ as Hammers prepare for Christmas in drop zone
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted he is “concerned” about West Ham’s position after their side suffered a disastrous 3-0 defeat to Man City, forcing them to spend Christmas in the Premier League relegation zone.
“We are concerned about this situation,” Nuno said. “We need a lot of improvement ourselves.
“Of course I’m worried. We entered the game poorly and gave away the ball blindly. Of course, when you concede a goal this early, it makes everything difficult.”
“The first period of the game was really difficult. We improved a lot in the second half and had some situations that could have changed the game, but we didn’t get off to a good start.
“We advocate on the practice field, we believe, we work hard. Everyone has to stay committed. That’s the only way I know how. The reality is we’re being punished.”
