Despite winning the Super Cup and defeating Manchester United 5-4 on penalties, Pep Guardiola is unsure if Manchester City is ready for the Premier League season after a 1-1 draw at Wembley on Saturday.
Player Performance and Pre-Season Impact
The City will begin the defense of their title this weekend at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, but Pep did not learn much from the victory over United.
“I'm not sure if the preparation was done well,” Guardiola added. “We could have lost today. We were close to losing with 5 minutes to go, so you have to wait. I saw many things that I liked. The first 35 minutes were excellent, which was unexpected for the time we have been together.”
“We are far from our best. It's normal, but winning a trophy is better. It’s better, but because we won, nothing has changed.”
The City was seconds away from defeat until Bernardo Silva came on and scored with a close-range header in the 90th minute, taking the game to penalties.
Silva's goal was set up by a good move and cross from Oscar Bobb, who was one of the City players that impressed during the pre-season in the USA.
He impressed during the tour in the USA and will play a lot in the early weeks of the season as players return from international duty.
“We want more,” Guardiola said. “He needs to show more reliability in the final third. Sometimes he gets the ball and moves forward, but he is a bit passive. But he has something special.
“The way he positioned himself, turned, and crossed for the goal is a really impressive movement. He has an incredible work rate and is very good at pressing and defending, but he is still young. Even so, he can do it and needs to do it more,” he concluded.
