Pep Guardiola says Manchester City fans are ‘right to express what they feel’ after booing team following draw with Feyenoord
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had no issues with fans booing his players after the team threw away a 3-0 lead and drew 3-3 against Feyenoord in the Champions League.
The result extended City’s winless run to six games and came just three days after the team was hammered 4-0 at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
“We’ve lost a lot of games lately and we’re fragile,” Guardiola told Prime Sport after the game. “Of course, we need a victory and the game was good for confidence, we were playing at a good level.
“I don’t know if it’s a mental (problem), it’s a question of technique. The first goal cannot happen, the second as well, and after that, of course … we are desperate to win, desperate to do well.”
City was leading 3-0 and apparently cruising after Erling Haaland scored a goal either side of İlkay Gündoğan’s deflected strike.
But the collapse began in the 74th minute when Joško Gvardiol’s weak back pass gifted Anis Hadj Moussa Feyenoord’s first goal, though Gvardiol’s teammate Manuel Akanji made little to no effort to close down the errant ball.
Two further errors, both from goalkeeper Ederson, then gifted goals to Santiago Giménez and Dávid Hancko and allowed the visitors to draw level in the 89th minute.
City had one more chance to win the match, but Jack Grealish’s deflected shot cannoned off the post.
The draw leaves City 15th in the new 36-team group phase in the Champions League. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the round of 16, while teams that finish ninth to 24th will play a two-legged knockout tie to make up the remaining places.
Per Reuters, City is the first team in Champions League history to fail to win a match having led by three goals in the 75th minute.
Guardiola and his players were met with loud boos as the full-time whistle blew, but the Catalan head coach was keen to point out that they have been patient with his team, even following the 4-0 defeat to Spurs.
“In the last game against Tottenham, 0-4, the supporters were there, they applauded,” Guardiola told reporters after the match. “They are disappointed, of course, and we understand it. People come here not to remember the success in the past, they come here today to see the team win and perform well.
“We are not the ones and I am not the one when the situation is bad or good (to say) what they have to do. They support us all the time – when we go away, our fans are amazing, they’re traveling. Of course, they are right to express what they feel.”
Guardiola added that he and his players “have to expect” it’s going to be “a tough season,” with the team conceding a staggering 13 goals across its last four games.
It’s a stark contrast to the defensive resilience in recent seasons that has provided the foundation for several Premier League titles and the first Champions League in the club’s history.
Things don’t get any easier for the Citizens as they next travel to early runaway leader Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Champions League roundup
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Robert Lewandowski became just the third player in history to reach 100 goals in the Champions League as he helped Barcelona record a 3-0 win at home to Brest.
The Polish striker’s first-half penalty took him to the 100-goal milestone, becoming only the third player in history after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to do so, before he added a 101st in second-half injury time to secure the win. Dani Olmo had earlier made it 2-0.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain’s struggles continued as it was beaten 1-0 away at Bayern Munich.
Defender Kim Min-jae scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute to give Bayern the victory, before PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé was shown a red card in the second half.
The defeat leaves PSG in 26th place in the standings and outside of the qualification places with just three games remaining to turn things around.
Tuesday’s scores
Home vs away (winners in bold)
Manchester City 3-3 Feyenoord
Barcelona 3-0 Brest
Bayern Munich 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain
Sparta Prague 0-6 Atlético Madrid
Inter Milan 1-0 RB Leipzig
Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 RB Salzburg
Sporting Clube de Portugal 1-5 Arsenal
Young Boys 1-6 Atalanta
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