SM
Man Utd vs. PAOK: 1 hr 16 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
SD
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 18, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
MC

0-3

 
FT(HT: 0-2)
Mahrez (24'), Gundogan (38'), Jesus (76')

Pep Guardiola praises Shakhtar for "incredible job" against City

:Headline: Pep Guardiola praises Shakhtar for 'incredible job' against City: ID:371970: from db_amp
Manchester City swept aside the Ukrainians 3-0 in their Champions League opener.

Pep Guardiola claims it took an outstanding performance from Manchester City to beat a Shakhtar Donetsk side that can still cause them problems in the Champions League.

The Premier League champions had little trouble as they eased to a 3-0 victory in their Group C opener against the Ukrainians in Kharkiv on Wednesday.

The scoreline was a repeat of City's victory over Shakhtar in last season's competition, a result they followed up by beating the same opponents 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City players celebrate Wednesday night's victory (Efrem Lukatsky/AP).

The sides, who also played each other in the 2017-18 campaign, are due to meet again in November and Guardiola, who has now faced Shakhtar 12 times in his managerial career, is taking nothing for granted.

The City boss said: "In the beginning it was more difficult, but the more you play against one opponent you know them better and you know a little bit what you have to do to win.

"But in the end if that has happened it is because the Barcelona, Manchester City or Bayern Munich players were incredible. That is why we could win.

"In my opinion Shakhtar made an incredible job and they wouldn't do that if they didn't have incredible ability to make incredible build-up. They are incredibly fast.

"They are exceptional players and I know how difficult it is, but of course we made an incredible performance. That is why we won.

“Always when I watch the opponents I try to discover the best they can do. I don't see the weak points. I always see the strong points.”
- Pep Guardiola

"The only problem I think for Shakhtar is the rhythm. We can maintain a lot of minutes in a high rhythm, but they play in a league where it's not as high.

"But always when I watch the opponents – for example now I am going to see Dinamo Zagreb before the next game – I try to discover the best they can do. I don't see the weak points. I always see the strong points."

Shakhtar did occasionally threaten City on the break, but Guardiola's side rarely relinquished control. Riyad Mahrez put them ahead after 24 minutes when he turned home a rebound after an Ilkay Gundogan shot had hit a post.

Mahrez then turned provider for Gundogan to add a second before the break and Gabriel Jesus scored a third late on.

Guardiola felt his side could have won more convincingly but for a fine display by Shakhtar's veteran goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.

The 35-year-old Ukrainian did not necessarily make many saves, but Guardiola felt his all-round performance in terms of breaking up attacks was excellent.

"Pyatov is one of the best keepers," said Guardiola, who sought out the keeper after the final whistle.

"When you want to make a pass behind the back four of Shakhtar he is reading (the game) perfectly. It is not easy to run behind because he anticipates the actions better than most keepers I have seen in my life. He reads exactly what's in front of him. He's a huge talent doing that."

amp_article__371970 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-09-19 10:17:09:
html db last update - 2019-09-19 10:17:09 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Pep Guardiola

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Share this article now:
Read more about Pep Guardiola Football
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .