Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has argued that his players gave too much room for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal during their Club World Cup round of 16 game earlier today.
Guardiola believed that if Manchester City had not been so open in their approach against the Saudi side, Al Hilal wouldn’t have been able to win the match.
While blaming the approach his players used in the game, Guardiola praised the Saudi side for being very fast throughout the match which ended in a 4-3 defeat for his team.
“When the crosses arrived, in the first action, they could pass the ball and attack, and they’ve quick players”, Pep Guardiola told reporters after the game.
“We created a lot and had a lot of chances against a team that defends so deep. They punished us on the transitions.”
Meanwhile, the manager of Al Hilal, Simone Inzaghi, believes that his team went the extra mile to ensure that they stopped Manchester City from progressing.
He praised the team for being extraordinary against a club that is the reigning FIFA Club World Cup winners and one of the fiercest sides in the world.
“We knew we had to do something extraordinary if we were to beat Manchester City, and that is what the boys did tonight, the lads were simply wonderful,” Inzaghi told reporters earlier today.
“We had to be extraordinary because well, Manchester City, we all know that team. So we had to climb Everest without oxygen to win the game and we made it.
“We were great. All the players were exceptional in everything, in the possession phase, non-possession phase.”
Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal now have the opportunity to play in the semi-finals of the competition, but they have to defeat Brazilian club Fluminense on Friday, July 4.
Note that Fluminense also knocked out a European giant, Inter Milan, with a 2-0 scoreline on Monday.
The post Pep Guardiola Reveals Why Al Hilal Defeated Man City, Inzaghi Hails Players appeared first on Naija News.