Pep Guardiola has apologised for costing Manchester City a massive victory at Anfield when he prevented Gabriel Jesus for taking a penalty that if scored would have given them a dramatic win and take them clear top of the EPL Standings.
The Spanish coach revealed he ordered Riyad Mahrez to take the penalty awarded four minutes from time which offered the Champions a chance to impose themselves on the title race.
But he revealed he DIDN’T know about the former Leicester forward’s SHOCKING penalty record, with the Algerian international missing five of his last eight spot kicks.
Jesus wanted to take the penalty – awarded when Virgil van Dijk caught sub Leroy Sane at the end of a fascinating contest, and Guardiola admitted:
“Jesus wanted to take it, yes, but it was my decision. What did I say to him afterwards? Apologise. I apologised, yes of course. It was my decision.”
And Guardiola conceded that he had sent a message onto the pitch via Benjamin Mendy for Mahrez to take the penalty, even though Jesus was lining it up.
“I sent Mendy to tell him, yes, because “During the training sessions every day I see Mahrez every time take the penalties and it gave me a lot of confidence.
“It will be good experience for him, next time it will go in. He had the courage to hit the penalty. In the training session, he shoots perfect penalties. In the end, ok, it sometimes happens. In the end it is what it is.”
Guardiola was disappointed after his tactical plan to slow the game down to stop Liverpool’s high energy press almost worked. They restricted Liverpool to just one shot on target, by retreating deeper and defending in depth which restricted the visiting side to just 43 per cent possession, which is the LOWEST City have ever had in the Premier League under Guardiola.
And asked if he slowed the game down as a tactic, he admitted: “Yeah, if you play so quick they are much better than us. We want to create but they wait for you to make a mistake. It’s not easy.
“If it is an open game at Anfield, you don’t even have one chance, not even one per cent of a chance. We control it through Riyad, Bernardo, the guys to give the extra pass.
“It’s important to give that pace because up and down, they are I’m pretty sure the best team in the world in these transitions, offensive, defensive.
“There is no team better in the world because it is built for that. It is created for that. It is what Jurgen feels. In that situation, they are much better than us.”
The EPL takes a two week international break with the race for the title still wide open with three teams tied on points at the top. Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City both have 20 points after 8 games. The three teams are only separated by goal differences.