Pep Guardiola is known to play bluff before matches, but this time it may have been a genuine concern for the Manchester City manager. The club lost a close contest to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United in the final of the FA Cup, but that was exactly what Pep Guardiola anticipated before the game. Coming behind a Premier League title win, Guardiola earlier expected different outcomes to the current game, but it seems like the worst one turned true.

Before the game, during the press conference, Pep cited a possibility of his team losing composure and the game too. He stated, “If you tell me that every season we win by 15 or 20 points, I would tell you, ‘Yeah it’s boring’. But it’s not going to happen,” citing that his club was not the favorite as people thing.

He further said, “It can be 10 against 11, bad decisions, mistakes can happen, and you can lose the game, you can lose a game, we know we can lose a game.” As it turned out, Manchester United won the game 2-1 with two teenagers, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, taking the responsibility.

The former FC Barcelona boss always gives the benefit of the doubt to the opponents before big games. Last season also saw the same fixture for the FA Cup final when Guardiola praised ten Hag and his team for the quality of players they had. Pep also cited United’s league win against the Sky Blues last year, which is pretty unusual for managers to say. Guardiola on that occasion emerged victorious over ten Hag with the same scoreline, but reversed. This time, however, the win belonged to United, forcing Guardiola to admit his team’s failings.

Manchester City lose a close-fought game as Pep Guardiola takes the blame

It was Josko Gvardiol’s lack of composure against Garnacho that gave United the lead in the 30th minute. Garnacho after a fine duel with Gvardiol just had to hit the target which he did. Subsequently, Mainoo’s shot in the 39th minute gave United a 2-goal cushion to stay back most of the time. However, Jeremy Doku finally broke Aaron Wan-Bissaka and the Red Devils’ backline in the 87th minute, but it was too late for Pep Guardiola and his boys to make a comeback.

Meanwhile, Guardiola expressed that the loss was his fault. After the game, he reportedly stated, “For my decisions, we were not in the right positions to attack them. My mistake, my gameplan was not good,” saying that it had nothing to do with players’ lack of intensity. Nevertheless, last season’s treble winners did not go down without fighting. With an intense battle in all competitions, Manchester City will cherish the upcoming break and comeback rejuvenated.