Despite securing a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Pep Guardiola was not satisfied with Manchester City's performance, describing the 2-0 victory over Salford City, from the fourth tier of English football, as 'boring.' The home team took the lead at the Etihad Stadium thanks to an own goal from Alfie Dorrington just 6 minutes in. The result was sealed in the 81st minute by Marc Guéhi, who scored his first goal for the club. However, the overall performance did not please the Spanish coach, who was direct in his assessment. When asked if he was satisfied with the display, Guardiola said: 'No. We did not identify where the spaces were. With spaces in attack, the game depends on how they defend, and we did not read that.' The coach added that this was why 'the game was boring.' 'The only good news is that we progressed. That's all,' he concluded. Guardiola, who took the opportunity to make nine changes to the team, refused to use fatigue as an excuse for the uninspired performance. 'It would be nice of me to say that we are mentally exhausted, that we are tired, that it has been two or three difficult weeks for many reasons,' he stated. 'But it is our job. The schedule says we play every few days. We simply did not read where the spaces were, and everything was apathetic, slow, and not good.' Despite the criticism, there was a positive point for City: the return of English defender John Stones, who had not played for over two months due to a thigh injury. 'He is back. He still needs time; he is not the John Stones we knew, but his body language was very good in terms of pressing and aggression,' Guardiola commented, emphasizing the importance of the player having played for 65 minutes. The Citizens are now focused on the upcoming clash with Newcastle, which is part of the 27th round of the Premier League.
Manchester City Everything Was Apathetic remains central to this story.
Manchester City Everything Was Apathetic remains central to this story.
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