Guardiola said ‘We had a lot of fatigue’
Pep Guardiola’s attempt at parking the bus in London to help Manchester City pinch three vital points almost paid off.
But Gabriel Martinelli’s 93rd-minute equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw for hosts Arsenal, although neither side will be left satisfied as their Premier League title aspirations were dealt a blow.
City boss Guardiola’s dismay was captured by a pained expression on his face at full-time, slowly applauding the travelling support before dragging himself down the tunnel with slumped shoulders.
Not only will the manner of the late goal have hurt, but it left leaders Liverpool as the real victor this weekend, going five points clear at the top and looking ominous in the defence of their crown with a 100% record after five games.
“Pep Guardiola shrugged his shoulders,” former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports after Sunday’s game at Emirates Stadium.
“He decided about 25 or 30 minutes out from the end of the game how he was going to win it and he almost got there.
“That was a slugfest. Liverpool may be the winners of this result.”
For 92 minutes of the contest, it was all going to plan for City – the Gunners were failing to fire and the visitors were on their way to a vital victory.
Despite the arduous scheduling of recent games, Guardiola decided to name the same starting XI for a third consecutive game – only the third time he has done this during his nine years at the club.
Having taken a ninth-minute lead through the imperious Erling Haaland and seeing out the opening 45 minutes pretty comfortably, Guardiola decided to shut up shop in the second half, possibly with tiredness in mind.
City had comfortably dispatched rivals Manchester United last Sunday, but were made to work hard for victory against 10-man Napoli in their Champions League opener on Thursday. Despite their efforts at Arsenal, they fell agonisingly short of three straight wins in a week.
Guardiola switched to a 5-5-0 formation in the 76th minute following the eyebrow-raising decision to haul off Haaland and send on defensive midfielder Nico Gonzalez – a tactical manoeuvre which could have come right out of the Jose Mourinho playbook.
The attempt to do whatever was needed to try to get the win was highlighted by the fact City ended with only 32.8% possession, the lowest figure recorded by any Guardiola side in his 601st league game as manager.
“We don’t try to be like this but when the opponent is better we defend deeper and counter-attack – but that’s not our intention,” he said.
“I would prefer not to do it, but you have to at this level. I take a point and in some games we have to adjust.”
But Guardiola admitted two tough games, with just two days rest in between, had taken a toll on his players.
“We were incredibly tired,” he added. “The game against Napoli was so emotional and after that recovery day we have four or five hours to travel to London. Arsenal fought in the last two Premier League title races and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League so it’s so difficult.
“We had a lot of fatigue with many players. We also have a lot of injuries.”
Guardiola told BBC Radio 5 Live he was “disappointed” by the result, but was “proud” of his players for improving on last season’s performance when they were thumped 5-1 by Mikel Arteta’s men in the corresponding fixture.
City have claimed only seven points from their opening five league games, which is their lowest return in 19 years when they had four under Stuart Pearce.
Although it is only September, they have left themselves with little room for error, trailing Liverpool by eight points at this early stage.
For Arsenal’s late leveller, City’s high backline were caught out by Eberechi Eze’s ball over the top and Martinelli clipped a delightful finish over the towering Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The result meant Arteta became the first manager to go five successive league games without defeat against Guardiola.
Former City defender Micah Richards said it was the “poorest” he had seen the side on the ball “for a long time”, adding it was not “Pep’s style of play” and more “Mourinho or [Sam] Allardyce.”
Rob Green, the former West Ham and England keeper, added BBC Radio 5 Live: “You can control a game without controlling the ball, and clearly that is what City decided to do.
“They saw that their strength was their back four, in their last two games they looked solid, and decided to stick with that.
“When the ball got played over the top they were slightly too high, there wasn’t the pressure on the ball, and all it takes is that one little slip.”
Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott felt City got their tactics right, but conceded at the end through a “series of mistakes”.
He told BBC Sport: “There was no pressure on the ball and they haven’t dropped.
“Donnarumma recognises that and thinks he needs to come out, when the ball was actually in between, [and] he can’t make it – and it is too late.
“He was left in no-man’s land.”
