Pep Guardiola: 'Ruthlessness is the most fitting word to describe Man City right now'

Following the 3-0 win at Crystal Palace, Pep Guardiola highlighted the “ruthlessness” in Man City's gameplay, and acknowledged that the team still has plenty to work on.

On the evening of December 14 (Vietnam time), Man City traveled to Selhurst Park and quickly demonstrated their superior class. Pep Guardiola’s squad controlled the match, dominating most of the game and converting their advantage with the opening goal in the 41st minute when Erling Haaland rose high to head the ball accurately. In the second half, Crystal Palace pushed forward trying to find an equalizer but could not break through the visitors’ defense. Phil Foden doubled the lead in the 69th minute, before Haaland completed his brace from the penalty spot, sealing a 3-0 win for Man City.

In his post-match comments, Pep Guardiola described his players’ performance with a single powerful word: “Ruthless.” According to the Spanish manager, this victory was the result of a lot of hard work behind the scenes. He expressed great respect for Crystal Palace, a team that, according to Guardiola, always poses significant challenges due to their fitness, quick transitions, and disciplined defensive system:

“Ruthless is the word that best describes Man City right now. Every time we face Palace, it’s very tough. They are strong, defend well, and counterattack dangerously,” Pep shared.

Pep Guardiola also admitted that this was not an easy match, especially considering Man City had just gone through an emotionally intense encounter in Madrid. Nevertheless, he was pleased with the team spirit and atmosphere in the dressing room, while candidly stating that the squad still has many areas to improve: “Real Madrid showed me that we are not fully ready in how we approach some matches. But winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park is a strong statement,” Pep emphasized.

With this result, Manchester City remain close behind Arsenal in the title race, with just a 2-point gap between the two teams, while Crystal Palace continue to struggle in the lower half of the table.