MANCHESTER — Pep Guardiola says he would rather quit Manchester City and go back to Spain than change his style of play.
The City boss has failed to win any of his last four games and was beaten 4-0 by Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Sergio Aguero was left on the bench at Camp Nou, and Claudio Bravo was sent off for handling the ball outside the box after fluffing a clearance.
Guardiola said it will take time for him and his players to adapt, but he insists he won’t change his attacking style.
“No, I’m not going to change. [If] it’s not going well in the future, next season isn’t going well in that way, I will go home to Spain,” he told a news conference ahead of City’s Premier League clash with Southampton on Sunday.
“You know what happens, I think about [an alternative], yeah. But after that the solution is not better than what I believe so I cannot.
“Do you know why as well, because in seven years I won 21 titles. I’m sorry guys. I won 21 titles in seven years. So it’s three titles per year playing in that way.
“But if you believe I arrive here and in three months everything is going well and I’m going to win in the Camp Nou 4-0, I’m going to dominate against [Lionel] Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar is going to create nothing, and [Andres] Iniesta isn’t going to play good — no. I’m good, but it’s not enough.”
Guardiola said City had acquitted themselves well in Catalonia and added that City’s only disappointing performance this season was the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
He also backed Bravo after his error and said the Chilean has to remain strong as every time he makes a mistake it will be highlighted.
“I know from the beginning when Claudio is going to make a mistake, he will be on the front page,” Guardiola said.
“Every goalkeeper, every defender in the world, every striker missing penalties, make mistakes but Claudio has to fight against that.
“The most difficult thing in that kind of situation is to discriminate when you can pass the ball and play or put the ball long and sometimes you have to put a long ball.
“I don’t know if this time you have to put a long ball because he was alone, just one guy pressing the ball and three players to pass to and if he hits it long the goal is completely empty.
“So the decision was not wrong in that moment but the action — he did not pass good and that can happen. It is a pity because in that moment the game was open.”
-espnfc