Guardiola’s Blues go into the October recess second in the Premier League as we chase down an eye-watering five straight top-flight titles.
The manager accepts there’s ‘margin to improve’ defensively but insists it’s ‘too easy’ to put that down to Rodri’s absence from the team.
“Maybe structurally yes, maybe we create more and concede more but I have the international break to reflect,” the manager said when asked if goals conceded were down to mistakes or structure.
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“For example, the first action from Adama [Traore], one against one, Rico [Lewis] is in front of him and after he anticipates him.
“Of course, when this happens it’s a mistake and you have to be better than that in these situations.
“We are a team more used to playing than focusing on these types of things [defensive record]. But they score goals and we have to try to be better. You have margin to improve.”
“It’s so easy to say this analysis,” the boss added when asked if Rodri being out injured was the deciding factor.
“With Rodri we drew two games and without him we won all the games so far this season.
“If it’s one player that all the time makes mistake, mistake, mistake they are not going to play the next game. It’s simple. If you have a business, you have to perform well. But that is not the case.
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“You have to reflect on the goals, normally it’s transitions or set-pieces because without Rodri we lose this power because he’s another guy who is strong in this position but we have to live without him and see who can do better with the ball.
“We will talk and see and reflect what we miss to be more consistent.”
Click the video above to watch the press conference.
