Maybe Man City Need To Lose, Guardiola Jokes

The Blues boss says he is pleased with all the praise coming his way but insists things will change as soon as his side are beaten - and joked that he hopes that happens sooner

Pep Guardiola has joked that it would be better if his Manchester City side lost a game "as soon as possible" in a bid to cut short the praise coming his way.

City have been installed as favourites for the Premier League title after Guardiola guided his new club to eight wins from eight games, five of which came in the league.
But Guardiola is determined not to let fans or media get carried away with City's early season form, insisting he knows exactly what to expect when his team taste defeat for the first time.

Asked if he feared City are at risk of burning out due to their high-energy approach, he countered that players do not feel overly fatigued after impressive victories, and also seemed to suggest that a negative narrative will replace the praise should the team hit a run of poor results.

"You saw one team tired after winning 4-0?" he asked rhetorically. "I’ve never yet seen one player tired after a 4-0 win. When you win, you are more comfortable, and the spirit of the team is better.
"But I know what is going on here. I know it’s going to happen that we are not going to win at some point. Maybe we need that as soon as possible, one defeat. I’m joking there. But you understand what I mean, to make things calm down.
"I hear a lot of things that are not true about what is happening now. For many [managers], at the moment they don’t win, it isn’t fair what happens with them. We are only five games into the Premier League. I know what’s going to happen to me, to our club, my players, the team when we don’t win.
"It is impossible to win all of the games. It is impossible to put in a good performance all the time. That’s happened with my colleagues when they lose one game and how they get pushed, so I know perfectly well that it’s going to happen to me and our team."
Guardiola says he is pleased that his time at the Etihad Stadium has got off to such a positive start, although he again suggested that he will be viewed differently once the novelty factor of his approach on and off the pitch wears off.
"I’m happy for that," he added. "I didn’t expect us to play at that level. That is because I am new, so next year that is not going to happen. I am new and my colleagues are not new. The way we play is a little different.