Citizens head coach Pep Guardiola has admitted Man City’s penalty problem could hurt their Champions League ambitions.
What did Pep Guardiola say?
If Algerian captain Riyad Mahrez had scored from 12 yards against Borussia Dortmund, the Citizens could have left Signal Iduna Park with three points in their bag instead of one. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is a mainstay of Manchester City, but he was part-time removed from his former club and Mahrez has stepped up as his substitute.
After failing to score against Copenhagen two weeks ago, the Algerian fluffed his lines again as Gregor Kobel dived in immediately to save his attempt. Pep was visibly worried about the slip and hinted that his team’s 12-yard struggle could undermine their chances of winning the tournament.
The Spanish manager told reporters after the match that since he was here, they had conceded 25 penalties, most of them in the Champions League. According to Pep Guardiola, this is too much. You always have to admire courage, but missing so many free kicks is a problem. They must improve. It comes down to great margins in this competition and these situations can make a difference.
The city’s head coach also confirmed that Riyad would be taking a break from his hitting duties after his latest miss. The Spaniard added that Mahrez was exceptional two or three years ago, shooting the pen to go 1-1 here to help them get into the hemisphere for the first time. Lately, he’s missed. Pep Guardiola says he will reflect. Now he can take a break with free kicks.
A little about the topic
Algerian captain Riyad Mahrez has missed 10 of his 32 career penalties, including three of his last four for the Citizens. Pep will now be looking at other lineup alternatives to move up when Erling is off the pitch. Gundogan could take the mantle again after scoring 15 of the 17 the player has taken in his career.