Guardiola: 'Sorry Man City couldn't beat RB Leipzig 4-0'

"They improved by one step, pressed higher. After conceding the goal, we bounced back and played well in the last 20 minutes. Man City had chances in both halves and won a good result to decide the match. This is in Manchester. So I'm satisfied with the match," Guardiola told BT Sport.

As a guest at RB Leipzig, Man City played better in the first half and opened the scoring thanks to Riyad Mahrez. However, the away team sagged and let the opponent dominate after the break. Josko Gvardiol's header made Pep Guardiola's teachers and students only leave with a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 1/8 Champions League round.

Last season, Man City crushed RB Leipzig 6-3 at home when the two teams were in the same group. In the second leg, they lost 1-2, but then Man City went on and the opponent was eliminated. According to Guardiola, his team could not keep up with Leipzig in terms of speed and transition, so they had to rely on controlled kicks to control the game.

"What more do you expect? Man City did not come here for a friendly. How many games of Leipzig have you watched?", replied Guardiola when asked about the result. "Don't expect us to come here and win 5-0. It's a fantasy. Many good teams have been eliminated in the group stage of this difficult tournament. Man City have to play four matches in 10 days, all away. So what are you waiting for. We are a good team and are doing a lot. If people expect Man City to come here and win 4-0 then sorry, I can't do it."

Guardiola gathered some of his players on the pitch after the game to encourage them and even raised his voice when a few expressed frustration at dropping their victory. The Spaniard revealed he was displeased when the players bowed their heads as if in defeat and encouraged them to ignore outside judgments.

Guardiola also defended Erling Haaland, who continued to disappoint by missing a second game in a row. "He adapts to Man City 100%. We need to find a way to pass to Haaland more," he said. Explaining about not making substitutions during the match, the Man City coach admitted that he thought about bringing Phil Foden on but was ultimately satisfied with the staff on the field.