Manchester City blew a 2-1 lead with less than 10 minutes to go as they fell to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola has admitted that his side is “not stable enough” when it comes to holding leads and preventing late goals.
“They [the players] want it, yes of course. How they run, how they do it. But, the truth is, we are not stable enough. Today is not an exception; it happened many times,” he said.
Of their last five Champions League matches, Manchester City have conceded eight goals in the last 16 minutes. When discussing whether his side would be able to compete if they keep that kind of form up, Guardiola was blunt.
“Of course not,” he admitted. “I’ve been here for many years and we have been an extraordinary team.”
“It [accountability] belongs to all of us, not just the players. I don’t have a problem to accept that it doesn’t work like it worked in the past. Not a problem. It’s all of us.”
No surprise, then, that the City boss wasn’t keen on blaming individuals.
“To blame one specific player, or blame whatever, that is ridiculous. It’s all of us, me the first because I am here for many years, and of course the players as well. This is the truth.”
It wasn’t all negative, though. Guardiola still saw the positives in his side’s performance and that of the victorious Real Madrid outfit.
“There are many [positives]. Of course, there are many, many good things. But the result is what it is, and we are here for the business of the result. So, of course, we did many good things, and things can improve,” he said.
“I also give credit to the opponent. Madrid had chances and played good.”
Overall, though, the defeat left a sour taste in Guardiola’s mouth: “What happened at the end, it’s tough. It’s happened many times, and for the players, it’s difficult.”
The second leg sees the Cityzens head to the Spanish capital next Wednesday.