Man City Fails To Win Again, Pep Guardiola Understands Erling Haaland's Penalty Failure

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in the match against Everton which ended in a 1-1 draw. (X/@ManCity)

JAKARTA - Not a sweet gift for Manchester City fans on Boxing Day. Playing at home in the Premier League England match, Man City took the lead before being held 1-1. Failed to win at the Etihad Stadium, Thursday, December 26, 2024 evening WIB, manager Pep Guardiola understands Erling Haaland's penalty failure which could actually determine the final result of the match.

Guardiola showed an expression of disappointment watching his players waste so many chances to score. Man City actually started pretty well in the game the day after Christmas. They took the lead through Bernardo Silva's goal in the 14.

But Everton were able to catch up when winger Iliman Ndiaye equalized the score to 1-1 before the first half ended. After that goal, Man City struggled to increase the lead.

In the second half, Man City had the chance to take the lead again after being awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute. However, Haaland failed to complete the execution. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford brilliantly blocked Haaland's shot so that the draw lasted until the end of the match.

The failure to beat Everton while playing in front of his own supporters made Man City extend their record of never winning in 13 matches in various competitions. In the aftermath, the rankings of The Cityzens continued to decline.

Previously, Man City competed fiercely with Liverpool for the top of the standings. Now, Man City is stuck in seventh place with 28 points. Similar to Fulham and Aston Villa, but Man City has the best goal difference. However, Man City is already 14 points behind Liverpool who are at the top.

In the match that came back unwinnable, Guardiola repeatedly held his head and covered his face to hide disappointment But the former Barcelona coach denied that his body language showed he was disappointed and frustrated with the team's performance and failed to win.

"No, that's not true. My body language is very positive. That's true because the team played very well. I don't agree [when it's said to be disappointed]," Guardiola was quoted as saying by Mail Online.

"Only the team's situation is not good. But everything takes time to get back as expected. With the team position in the current standings, it's better I don't have to argue," he said again.

"Football is clear about winning, about scoring goals and not conceding. We've done it until a month and a half ago. But now we have a hard time doing it," he said.

Guardiola also understands Haaland's failure to complete the penalty execution which could actually be a team victory. According to him, Man City will rise and return to winning ways.

"We will rise mentally. Life wins is not easy. Sports is not easy either. So when the penalty fails, it doesn't matter. We still have a lot of playing minutes," said Guardiola, who once successfully handled Bayern Munich.

"Tims like Arsenal and Chelsea can't score goals either. But in this match, we created a lot of chances and how players kept running and fighting, it was incredible. They made every effort. Sometimes, we didn't play well, but this time I think we played better," he said again.

Haaland's penalty failure made the Norwegian national team striker experience a decline. He has only broken into the opponent's goal three times since last October.

Guardiola hopes the team will return to the line in the next tough match. They visited Leicester City's headquarters which slumped in the relegation zone after losing 3-1 against Liverpool. The match was held at home to The Foxes, Sunday, December 29, 2024 evening WIB.

However, Guardiola has again lost pillar player Kyle Walker who has not recovered from illness and Jack Grealish who was injured during training. Both missed the match against Everton.