Pep Guardiola says tactics were not to blame for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal.
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Content to absorb City’s pressure, Arsenal proved adept at turning defence into attack and while Guardiola admitted his side didn’t create enough clear cut chances, he refused to accept that it was the Gunners’ tactical approach which proved his side’s undoing.
“The question is how many chances we had and how many they had,” he explained.
“Possession is part of it, but it’s not everything. It’s how many chances you create through the possession.
“When you play in that way, always they can use the counter-attack.
“How many counter-attacks was not the problem. It was maybe one or two actions.
“It was not about tactics.”
It was a frustrating evening for City as we lost a domestic cup tie for the first time in 22 games, a run which stretches back to February 2018 when we were beaten 2-0 by Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.
With the Champions League to come there is still a chance for this season to end successfully and Guardiola admitted he cannot take anything away from the squad’s effort over the last three trophy-laden campaigns.
He did, however, feel that this was a defeat which highlighted how players must take responsibility for their performances.
“What these players have done is incredible,” he said.
“But we lost an FA Cup semi-final. You have to play 90 minutes, but we played just 45 minutes.
“In the first half everything was sloppy, it was not the right rhythm for this kind of game, to reach a final.”
Attentions now turn to our final two Premier League games against Watford and Norwich City, before the Champions League resumes.
And Guardiola reiterated his focus remains solely on these fixtures, rather than initiating any plans for the new campaign in the wake of this defeat.
“I am not thinking about next season,” he added.
“We had two titles to fight for and we lost one.
“We have another one and once we have finished, we are going to think about what we have to do for the team.”
