Pep Guardiola has demanded more “bravery” from his Manchester City side after beating West Ham 3-0 to move temporarily top of the Premier League and criticised a lack of ‘positional courage’.City stormed into a 2-0 lead by half time at the Etihad and were cruising before the Hammers attempted to enact a comeback, creating three goalscoring chances at the beginning of the second half – all of which were squandered.
Having created zero xG in the first period, and not managing to land a single effort at goal – let alone on target – Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham side racked up seven shots after the break and two big chances, leading Pep to say his players were not “brave enough” in possession.
City have won each of their last three Premier League games while keeping a clean sheet for the first time since 2021, and are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.”With the ball we are not good,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “So we give away many things because we are not in the right spots to break the lines and make the next steps.
“Because the players are not courageous to do that action. But we will improve it because we are so open. The group is amazing, we will try to do it.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Man City’s match against West Ham in the Premier League
“I’m happy, I cannot deny, but the way we play with the ball we have to improve or it will not be enough in March or April to be a contender to win the league.
“I said to my players: ‘Merry Christmas for everyone but it will not be enough if we do not improve’.”With the positions we have to be brave. We were not there. How many chances did they have first half? Zero, none. But even with that we were not in the right places to create, to be more solid. We didn’t do the right process to be more consistent. Gigi [Donnarumma] saved us.”If they follow me we will be there, but we have to improve. I know the level in this league, I know Arsenal, I know how tough they are. It’s not enough. The spirit is there. But many, many things we must do better.”It is not the first time Guardiola has been critical of his own players after a victory in the last…
2025-12-20 19:15:00
