Guardiola reveals the ‘extra pressure’ that caused City to lose to Leicester

Pep Guardiola admitted he was “anxious” after Manchester City suffered a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Leicester.

It’s the first time in Guardiola’s managerial career that one of his sides has conceded five goals in a single game.

But they only had themselves to blame, giving away three clumsy penalties to help Leicester on their way to victory.

Man City actually took the lead within five minutes, when Riyad Mahrez fired home. But Guardiola admitted that the way they tried to build on that lead was a problem.

He told Sky Sports: “I think today the problem was we put an extra pressure on ourselves to score the second one and the third one, when they didn’t want to play, just defend and counter-attack.

“In that position we have to be more calm.

“Anxious… we are not creating chances, we got nervous, and after, we give away three penalties. When you give away three penalties you cannot win.”

‘It’s still the second game’

The defeat has already raised questions about City’s chances in the Premier League title race, despite it being so early in the season.

City soon found themselves lagging behind Liverpool last season, but when asked how hard it would be to motivate his squad after defeat, Guardiola insisted there was not enough from today to make him fear the same happening already.

“Of course it’s hard, but still it’s the second game in the Premier League,” he said.

“We have to try to see what you have to do to avoid it next time. This is my job.

“Of course I feel bad for the guys, for the club. We have to analyse and improve.”

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