Manchester City coach praises John Stones

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has come to praise his star young defender John Stones. The Spanish coach was emotional after the 1-1 draw against Liverpool this weekend. Though very unusual, Guardiola claimed that this was one of his proudest days ever.

Manchester City vs Liverpool:

This game was set between one of the top sides of the English Premier League fighting for the top four spot. A lot of pressure was riding on both of the teams due to reasons of their own. Manchester City got knocked out of the Champions League last week by AS Monaco. AS Monaco are one of the most exciting sides in this year’s edition, as they have caused some major upsets. As Guardiola pointed out, one of the main reasons why they got knocked by City was their failure to create chances. On the other hand, Liverpool have a worrisome record against the bottom 14 of the League. Therefore, the tie was significant for both the sides given the stage the League is in right now. Liverpool needed to win the game, else they risked being overtaken by United. City, on the other hand, are chasing Tottenham in their bid To finish as close to Chelsea as possible

Tactics of the game:

One of the most standout features of the game was the sheer number of chances created by both the teams. Liverpool played their usual high press. Manchester City played one of their most aggressive starting formations ever, with an open attacking mindset. Pep Guardiola talked about the physicality of the Liverpool game, with which they didn’t have players to cope. On an occasion like this, the mantle of defending was passed on to the young English gem, John Stones. The defender, who had to deal with the likes of Firmino, Mane and Coutinho alone and managed to do that with efficiency.

City created a lot of chances in the game, probably their highest in a single game. With regards to finishing, Pep said that the side might not have finished off their chances, but he was satisfied. He believes that this was the first time in a long period that the team expressed itself to the fullest. The football was exactly like he envisioned and the Spaniard said that he was proud of his boys. With the race for the top four hotting up, all the teams will look to put forward their best foot ahead.