Manchester City came away from France with a comfortable 3-0 win over Marseille on Tuesday, and Pep Guardiola hailed the way his team responded, per Yahoo Sports.
City came into this game with two of their strikers missing as both Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus were out with injuries. However, they got goals from Ferran Torres, Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling, and it was more than enough to earn the English side all three points from the affair.
Pep Guardiola was pleased with the mentality of his side and also praised their defensive composure as they came away from France with a clean sheet.
He further added to Yahoo Sports:
“It is important to start the Champions League with two victories. We are close now to being in the last 16 but still we are just in the beginning, improving – but with this mentality, I saw it from the beginning, the way we pressed, the way we tried to play, we were incredibly patient to find the right moment, the right tempo to do it and not concede counter-attacks. That was the key point of the game.
“We defended well in the box. In general it was a good performance because in Europe I know how demanding it is.”
It was important for City to get this win under their belt after a disappointing result in the Premier League over the weekend. Not having their strikers wasn’t ideal, but they managed to cope with it.
Making use of the likes of Torres to play as the centre forward ensures that there is fluidity to the team’s play. Another positive from Tuesday is the fact that Kevin De Bruyne started the game, after missing out against West Ham United. It’s obviously encouraging to know that he has shaken off his injury.
With this win, City have strengthened their chances of finishing on top of their group.
Their next game is a trip to Sheffield United, where they will be looking to get their League campaign back on track. City will have gotten a shot of confidence from beating Marseille and will look to carry that to Saturday’s game.
With new players stepping up, it is looking good for City. They are currently in 13th place and will be looking to climb up the ladder as quickly as possible.
Sheffield are a tough team to play, but if Manchester City can pull off another performance like what they achieved on Tuesday, they are likely to get the win.