Pep Guardiola has dismissed suggestions the pressure has ramped up on his Manchester City side following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
City slipped four points behind leaders Liverpool following the weekend stalemate, although they do have a game in hand which comes tomorrow night when Brentford visit the Etihad.
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Guardiola insisted he was “more than satisfied” with his team and insisted the levels of pressure internally remained the same.
He said: “No. We have the same pressure tomorrow.
“The last 15 games, we won 13 and drew two and the ones we drew we had the same pressure to win the game. The pressure is the same, no difference.
“I understand the doubts of some people, but in general when you analyse the game, we were more than decent against Chelsea but I know our standards – it is not easy to sustain those for a long, long time, but we have done it. Maybe for 12 months, it’s not easy.
“If we had [won] 3-0 against Chelsea, the fire would be the same to win this next game. It’s not changed much, it’s always the same.”
The expectations around City remain huge given their treble success last season. Guardiola insists those levels of expectation are an “honour”, adding: “People demand from us because we are the only team to have achieved what we have achieved.
“We have to live with that. We know how difficult it is. It’s you [the media] who believes it is easy, not us.
“I have had this experience in my previous clubs, especially Barcelona. It is an honour. We know what it is and we have to continue doing what we are doing.
“It is about how we behave and perform – and I am the first to demand it [perfection] for 95 minutes, knowing it is impossible.”
PEP 💬 They [Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish] are not ready for tomorrow. Everyone else is okay. PIC.TWITTER.COM/PZRKK1AXUY
— Manchester City (@ManCity) FEBRUARY 19, 2024
Guardiola was asked about France captain Kylian Mbappe amid reports the club’s ownership group had met with representatives of the player, who will leave Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer at the end of the season.
The former Barcelona boss was in no mood to ramp up the speculation, saying with a smile: “He is quite good. He has a future.”
Another striker that Guardiola is a fan of is Brentford’s Ivan Toney who scored twice in the corresponding fixture last season as the visitors won 2-1.
“He is so dangerous,” said Guardiola. “[With] long balls he is the master, how he uses his body.
“You can link with him, he is one of the best I have seen.”
City will be without defender Josko Gvardiol and winger Jack Grealish tomorrow night.
