Pep Guardiola has conceded he got carried away in his vision of perfect football, admitting he tried to evolve Manchester City before they were ready.
City stormed the opening six weeks of the campaign, winning 10 straight matches with the swagger Guardiola was appointed for.
The City manager made the revelation that he wrongly felt his players had already cracked his philosophy earlier this season ahead of Wednesday’s trip to West Ham.
‘We improved a lot in the beginning and then we stopped,’ Guardiola said. ‘Maybe it looks like I’m being humble, or shy or something, but it was a bit my
‘I believed we had it and they (the players) did not believe we had it. I’m pretty sure we started really good in many things and now we stopped.
‘You have to restart that. Our build-up is so fundamental in my vision of football.
‘When they attack the space, or when we attack in the counter-attacks, we create a lot of chances. We miss, after that, the last pass. It started at Swansea (on September 24) when we won 3-1. We arrived 10 or 12 times for the last pass and we missed it.
‘The way we play, to build up from behind, we have a lot to improve. A lot. That’s why it’s nice. I still have the ambition, unfinished business.’Guardiola wants City to emulate Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham and rediscover their scintillating best.
Asked which side he was impressed with, the Catalan replied: ‘Tottenham by far. Chelsea too. In the build-up Tottenham and Chelsea are the best, how they make the movements. With Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea play short
and long and always know exactly what they have to do. We are not in that process. Our inconsistency is for that reason.’
Fernandinho is back after a four-match suspension at the London Stadium and Leroy Sane should start. Guardiola, though, urged caution after the German’s encouraging run of performances.
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