Guardiola: Wolves deserved to win…and Man City star is an exceptional player

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola admitted that his team deserved to lose to Wolverhampton (0-1) on Saturday evening, in the seventh round of the English Premier League.

This is Manchester City’s first loss in the league, and the second in a row in all competitions, noting that Guardiola was not present in the technical area due to the suspension penalty.

Guardiola said in statements to Sky Sports: “Congratulations to Wolves, they deserved it. We had opportunities and faced difficulties in dealing with transitions and they played very well.”

Regarding how he dealt with the recent injuries that have befallen his team, Guardiola replied: “Bernardo (Silva) will return soon and John (Stones) will return soon, and we will see how many players we have to participate in the Champions League.”

As for whether the loss in the League Cup against Newcastle United affected the players’ performance today, the Spanish coach said: “It is a different tournament. In Newcastle we were much better than today and now we move to the next stage.”

Guardiola also addressed the impact of the absence of suspended midfielder Rodri, saying: “Rodri is an important player. We cannot rely on him and you have to provide another player to play there.”

Regarding Mateo Kovacic’s performance, Pep said: “It was good. Mateo is an exceptional player and this is the first time he has played in this position. When we win and lose we do it together. Today we were not at our best.”