Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City faced off this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes as part of Matchday 7 of the Champions League 2024-2025 league phase. The match ended in a 4-2 Parisian victory (video summary PSG/Manchester City). After the match, City coach Pep Guardiola spoke at a press conference. He underlined the superiority of the Parisian team.
Guardiola “they were better. We have to accept that.”
How do you explain the defeat ?
PSG were better. People suffer, players suffer and PSG were better. They were better in the intensity to win the duels. Of course, we had our moment at 0-2. In the first half, they had one or two clear-cut chances and when they had the ball, they brought us down. We also managed to cause them problems with the ball.
But after 0-2 and especially after 1-2, we just couldn’t play anymore. To defend well, you need to have the ball, but they were better, with an extra player in the middle, a false 9. We had trouble controlling it, they were better. We have to accept that. We’ve got one last chance at home against Brugge. We’re going to give it our all, and if we don’t, we don’t deserve it.
We have difficult away games, but of course the Inter game and the Feyenoord game put us in this position. We can qualify, but we need to get some players back and do better. It’s that simple. You have to accept it, that’s sport.
Guardiola “We weren’t able to get the ball back, or really keep it.”
Did the midfield suffer ?
Maybe I could have added a player in the middle, I expected to be able to control the one and build on that. But we couldn’t find the connection and we couldn’t get our game going. Their transition was too quick, and we couldn’t defend well.
Is the LDC format right ?
We make do with what we have, with our matches. If we’re here, it’s because other teams have been better than us. We’re in our position and we have to accept it. They’ve been better, so we have to accept that and concentrate on what comes next. We need to get our game back.
Are City still getting pegged back ?
Yes, we have to keep playing even when we’ve scored and use the ball. They also had their fans with them to push them on, to galvanize them, and that’s normal. We weren’t able to get the ball back, or really keep it.
What aspects of the game did Luis Enrique win over ?
In soccer, everything happens in the middle and they knew how to control it. In defense, we weren’t able to stop that and that creates problems. There were threats from all sides. We suffered.
Guardiola “We couldn’t get away with it.”
What were your words in the dressing room ?
That they were better, that we have to accept it, get over it and recover. PSG played with immense intensity and we need to move on to the next game.
Did any of the Paris players impress you ?
They were all very good. They were very intelligent. When the team plays like that, there’s no one player in particular to pick out.
Can PSG go far in the competition ?
I don’t know, maybe yes. What I think is that goals come from playing.
Did you think PSG would be this strong ?
I’ve seen other similar matches. I knew they were an exceptional team. We just couldn’t get away. I’d like to say something else, but you have to accept when a team is better.
