Guardiola fires back at criticism following Manchester City's heavy defeat to Real Madrid

Manager Pep Guardiola strongly defended his tactical decisions after Manchester City lost 3-0 to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in the UEFA Champions League.

The Spanish coach stated that whenever his team loses, every personnel decision becomes a target for heavy criticism.

During the post-match press conference, Guardiola spent over four minutes addressing the controversies surrounding his lineup choices. He admitted he fully follows social media comments regarding his selections, especially after the 3-1 win over Newcastle United in the FA Cup last weekend.

In that match, Guardiola surprised by abandoning the narrow midfield system recently used and instead deploying two pure wingers, Doku and Savinho. Meanwhile, Nico O'Reilly was pulled back to play as left defender.

"How many times have I been called a genius just because of my lineup choices?" Guardiola said. "A genius when winning. But before the Newcastle match? On social media, people asked why Rodri wasn't playing, why Bernardo Silva wasn't starting, why this player was dropped, why Erling Haaland was left out. But then we won 3-1. After that, people said I was brilliant."

Guardiola believes that being criticized whenever the team fails is something he has grown accustomed to over many years working in the Champions League. He even recalled the controversial decision in the 2021 final when Man City lost to Chelsea.

"In 17 years working in this competition, whenever I lose, criticism immediately floods in," Guardiola said. "I was heavily criticized for not using Fernandinho or Rodri in the defensive midfield role in the final against Chelsea. At that time, Ilkay Gündogan was deployed in that role and I faced a lot of attacks.

At that point, Rodri hadn't reached his later form, and Fernandinho was also at a different stage of his career. In football, many decisions are made for various reasons. I can explain, but whether people trust me next time is another matter."

Besides defending his tactical decisions, Guardiola also acknowledged that Manchester City's attack is struggling with finishing. He stated that players need to improve their movement inside the box to better utilize the chances created.

Erling Haaland's form is becoming a concern as the Norwegian striker has scored only two goals from live-ball situations in his last 17 matches. In the match at Bernabéu, Haaland left almost no significant impact.

In reality, Manchester City started quite well and created several dangerous situations before Federico Valverde opened the scoring for Real Madrid. Dangerous crosses from Doku on the left flank were delivered repeatedly, but no visiting player successfully capitalized.

According to Guardiola, Manchester City's attacking players need to improve their goal-scoring instinct. "The players must move better," he said. "Those inside the box need to start moving before the pass is made, they must sense where the ball will land.

That is instinct and sharpness. If you move early, getting past the defender before the ball arrives, you will have a chance to score. We need to continue improving that."

This weekend, Manchester City will visit West Ham United in the Premier League, while they trail Arsenal by 7 points in the standings. Guardiola emphasized the team needs to regain its sharpness in front of goal soon.

"We need to create more threats in front of the opponent's goal," he said. "I want to see more players penetrating the box when the ball is delivered from the wings.

Erling remains the world's top striker in his position. He needs goals, the team needs that too. Our task is to create more opportunities for him to score."